The Excel Convert Function
Excel has a very useful function called CONVERT. The Excel CONVERT function converts a number from one measurement to another measurement. You can convert grams to ounces, kilograms to pounds, Celsius to Fahrenheit or vice versa and there are a range of other metrics inside the convert function.
The syntax is as follows:
=CONVERT (number, from_unit, to_unit)
The CONVERT formula can be broken down into the following components.
number - The numeric value to convert.
from_unit - The units to convert from.
to_unit - The units to convert to.
A Practical Example
Take the following list of cities with temperatures in Celsius, these can be converted to Fahrenheit with no knowledge of the conversion factor. Just knowing the CONVERT function is enough.
Many Useful Examples
The following may give you some food for thought on the topic. The conversion can be done either way, you decide.
Metres to Yards =CONVERT(100,"m","yd") Metres to Feet =CONVERT(100,"m","ft") Pounds to Grams =CONVERT(100,"lbm","g") - to generate a conversion in kilos just divide result by 1000. Joule to Calories =CONVERT(100,"J","cal")Bit to Byte =CONVERT(100,"bit","byte")
The following is from Microsoft’s website. It shows the depth of analysis one can do with the CONVERT function in Excel. It is an extensive list and allows so many variable conversions.
Measurement for Weight / Mass
|
Weight and mass |
From_unit or to_unit |
|
Gram |
"g" |
|
Slug |
"sg" |
|
Pound mass (avoirdupois) |
"lbm" |
|
U (atomic mass unit) |
"u" |
|
Ounce mass (avoirdupois) |
"ozm" |
|
Grain |
"grain" |
|
U.S. (short) hundredweight |
"cwt" or "shweight" |
|
Imperial hundredweight |
"uk_cwt" or "lcwt" ("hweight") |
|
Stone |
"stone" |
|
Ton |
"ton" |
|
Imperial ton |
"uk_ton" or "LTON" ("brton") |
Measurements for Distance
|
Distance |
From_unit or to_unit |
|
Meter |
"m" |
|
Statute mile |
"mi" |
|
Nautical mile |
"Nmi" |
|
Inch |
"in" |
|
Foot |
"ft" |
|
Yard |
"yd" |
|
Angstrom |
"ang" |
|
Ell |
"ell" |
|
Light-year |
"ly" |
|
Parsec |
"parsec" or "pc" |
|
Pica (1/72 inch) |
"Picapt" or "Pica" |
|
Pica (1/6 inch) |
"pica" |
|
U.S survey mile (statute mile) |
"survey_mi" |
Measurements for Time
|
Time |
From_unit or to_unit |
|
Year |
"yr" |
|
Day |
"day" or "d" |
|
Hour |
"hr" |
|
Minute |
"mn" or "min" |
|
Second |
"sec" or "s" |
Measurements for Pressure
|
Pressure |
From_unit or to_unit |
|
Pascal |
"Pa" (or "p") |
|
Atmosphere |
"atm" (or "at") |
|
mm of Mercury |
"mmHg" |
|
PSI |
"psi" |
|
Torr |
"Torr" |
Measurements for Force
|
Force |
From_unit or to_unit |
|
Newton |
"N" |
|
Dyne |
"dyn" (or "dy") |
|
Pound force |
"lbf" |
|
Pond |
"pond" |
Measurements for Energy
|
Energy |
From_unit or to_unit |
|
Joule |
"J" |
|
Erg |
"e" |
|
Thermodynamic calorie |
"c" |
|
IT calorie |
"cal" |
|
Electron volt |
"eV" (or "ev") |
|
Horsepower-hour |
"HPh" (or "hh") |
|
Watt-hour |
"Wh" (or "wh") |
|
Foot-pound |
"flb" |
|
BTU |
"BTU" (or "btu") |
Measurements for Distance
|
Distance |
From_unit or to_unit |
|
Meter |
"m" |
|
Statute mile |
"mi" |
|
Nautical mile |
"Nmi" |
|
Inch |
"in" |
|
Foot |
"ft" |
|
Yard |
"yd" |
|
Angstrom |
"ang" |
|
Ell |
"ell" |
|
Light-year |
"ly" |
|
Parsec |
"parsec" or "pc" |
|
Pica (1/72 inch) |
"Picapt" or "Pica" |
|
Pica (1/6 inch) |
"pica" |
|
U.S survey mile (statute mile) |
"survey_mi" |
Measurements for Power
|
Power |
From_unit or to_unit |
|
Horsepower |
"HP" (or "h") |
|
Pferdestärke |
"PS" |
|
Watt |
"W" (or "w") |
|
Magnetism |
|
|
Magnetism |
From_unit or to_unit |
|
Tesla |
"T" |
|
Gauss |
"ga" |
Measurements for Temperature
|
Temperature |
From_unit or to_unit |
|
Degree Celsius |
"C" (or "cel") |
|
Degree Fahrenheit |
"F" (or "fah") |
|
Kelvin |
"K" (or "kel") |
|
Degrees Rankine |
"Rank" |
|
Degrees Réaumur |
"Reau" |
Measurements for Volume
| Volume (or liquid measure) | From_unit or to_unit |
| Teaspoon | "tsp" |
| Modern teaspoon | "tspm" |
| Tablespoon | "tbs" |
| Fluid ounce | "oz" |
| Cup | "cup" |
| U.S. pint | "pt" (or "us_pt") |
| U.K. pint | "uk_pt" |
| Quart | "qt" |
| Imperial quart (U.K.) | "uk_qt" |
| Gallon | "gal" |
| Imperial gallon (U.K.) | "uk_gal" |
| Liter | "l" or "L" ("lt") |
| Cubic angstrom | "ang3" or "ang^3" |
| U.S. oil barrel | "barrel" |
| U.S. bushel | "bushel" |
| Cubic feet | "ft3" or "ft^3" |
| Cubic inch | "in3" or "in^3" |
| Cubic light-year | "ly3" or "ly^3" |
| Cubic meter | "m3" or "m^3" |
| Cubic Mile | "mi3" or "mi^3" |
| Cubic yard | "yd3" or "yd^3" |
| Cubic nautical mile | "Nmi3" or "Nmi^3" |
| Cubic Pica | "Picapt3", "Picapt^3", "Pica3" or "Pica^3" |
| Gross Registered Ton | "GRT" ("regton") |
| Measurement ton (freight ton) | "MTON" |
Measurement for Area
|
Area |
From_unit or to_unit |
|
International acre |
"uk_acre" |
|
U.S. survey/statute acre |
"us_acre" |
|
Square angstrom |
"ang2" or “ang^2" |
|
Are |
"ar" |
|
Square feet |
"ft2" or "ft^2" |
|
Hectare |
"ha" |
|
Square inches |
"in2" or "in^2" |
|
Square light-year |
"ly2" or "ly^2" |
|
Square meters |
"m2" or "m^2" |
|
Morgen |
"Morgen" |
|
Square miles |
"mi2" or "mi^2" |
|
Square nautical miles |
"Nmi2" or "Nmi^2" |
|
Square Pica |
"Picapt2", "Pica2", "Pica^2" or "Picapt^2" |
|
Square yards |
"yd2" or "yd^2" |
Measurement for Information
|
Information |
From_unit or to_unit |
|
Bit |
"bit" |
|
Byte |
"byte" |
Measurement for Speed
|
Speed |
From_unit or to_unit |
|
Admiralty knot |
"admkn" |
|
Knot |
"kn" |
|
Meters per hour |
"m/h" or "m/hr" |
|
Meters per second |
"m/s" or "m/sec" |
|
Miles per hour |
"mph" |