ångströms (Å)
The ångström (also written angstrom) is a unit of length equal to 10⁻¹⁰ meters, or one tenth of a nanometer.
Convert ångströms to any length unit
1 ångström = 3.9370079 × 10-9 inches
Quick facts
- Unit
- ångström (plural: ångströms)
- Symbol
- Å
- Measures
- Length / Distance
- System
- Scientific & atomic
- Equals
- 1 × 10-10 meters
- Definition
- Exactly 10⁻¹⁰ m (0.1 nm).
- Also written
- angstrom
1 ångström in other units
| Inches | 3.9370079 × 10-9 in |
| Meters | 1 × 10-10 m |
| Centimeters | 1 × 10-8 cm |
| Feet | 3.2808399 × 10-10 ft |
| Kilometers | 1 × 10-13 km |
| Miles | 6.2137119 × 10-14 mi |
| Millimeters | 1 × 10-7 mm |
| Yards | 1.0936133 × 10-10 yd |
What is a ångström?
The ångström (also written angstrom) is a unit of length equal to 10⁻¹⁰ meters, or one tenth of a nanometer. It is roughly the size of an atom, which makes it the natural unit for crystal structures, chemical bonds and X-ray wavelengths.
It is named after the Swedish physicist Anders Jonas Ångström, who used it in 1868 to chart the wavelengths of sunlight. It is not an SI unit, but it is still widely used in chemistry and crystallography.
Where the ångström sits among length units
The ångström is number 8 of 231 on our scale of length units, ordered from smallest to largest.
What ångströms are used for
- Atomic radii and bond lengths
- Crystal lattice spacing (X-ray crystallography)
- Wavelengths of X-rays and ultraviolet light
- Thickness of thin films and coatings
ångströms in real life
- A hydrogen atom is about 1 Å in diameter
- A carbon–carbon single bond is 1.54 Å long
- Copper Kα X-rays have a wavelength of 1.54 Å
One ångström is about the length of a hydrogen atom.
Top ångström conversions
Common amounts of ångströms
Convert ångströms to all 230 other units
Metric (SI)
Imperial & US customary
- Å to in
- Å to ft
- Å to mi
- Å to yd
- Å to ftm
- Å to fur
- Å to hh
- Å to th
- Å to ch
- Å to lea
- Å to rd
- Å to cubit
- Å to barleycorn
- Å to li
- Å to span
- Å to line
- Å to ell
- Å to palm
- Å to Ramsden's chain
- Å to finger
- Å to nail
- Å to shaftment
US survey
Nautical
Astronomical
- Å to ly
- Å to au
- Å to pc
- Å to kpc
- Å to Mpc
- Å to R⊕
- Å to ls
- Å to light-minute
- Å to LD
- Å to R☉
- Å to Gpc
- Å to light-day
- Å to light-hour
- Å to RJ
- Å to light-week
- Å to Hubble length
- Å to siriometer
Scientific & atomic
Ancient
- Å to Roman mile
- Å to royal cubit
- Å to stadion
- Å to Biblical cubit
- Å to Roman foot
- Å to Greek foot
- Å to Roman pace
- Å to parasang
- Å to Egyptian common cubit
- Å to Egyptian digit
- Å to Egyptian palm
- Å to Gallic league
- Å to Greek cubit
- Å to Greek finger
- Å to Roman cubit
- Å to Roman digit
- Å to Roman inch
- Å to Roman palm
- Å to Roman stadium
- Å to Roman step
- Å to handbreadth
- Å to Biblical finger
- Å to Biblical parasang
- Å to Biblical span
- Å to Greek palm
- Å to Greek span
- Å to Sabbath day's journey
- Å to Talmudic mil
- Å to bema
- Å to beru
- Å to day's journey
- Å to diaulos
- Å to dichas
- Å to hippikon
- Å to iteru
- Å to khet
- Å to kondylos
- Å to kush
- Å to nindan
- Å to orgyia
- Å to plethron
- Å to pygme
- Å to reed
- Å to remen
- Å to shu-si
- Å to ush
East & Southeast Asian
- Å to 里
- Å to 尺
- Å to 寸
- Å to 尺
- Å to 里
- Å to 間
- Å to 寸
- Å to wa
- Å to 리
- Å to 丈
- Å to 步
- Å to 分
- Å to 厘
- Å to 分
- Å to 치
- Å to 町
- Å to 자
- Å to 丈
- Å to khuep
- Å to kujirajaku
- Å to nio
- Å to sen
- Å to sok
- Å to 引
- Å to yot
- Å to 厘
- Å to 푼
- Å to 毫
- Å to 忽
- Å to kraphiat
- Å to 毛
- Å to 丝
South Asian & Middle Eastern
- Å to gaj
- Å to kos
- Å to yojana
- Å to angul
- Å to farsakh
- Å to hasta
- Å to arsin
- Å to barid
- Å to danda
- Å to dhira
- Å to qasaba
European (pre-metric)
- Å to Swedish mil
- Å to versta
- Å to arshin
- Å to lieue
- Å to ligne
- Å to pied du roi
- Å to sazhen
- Å to toise
- Å to Irish mile
- Å to Prussian mile
- Å to Russian mile
- Å to Scottish mile
- Å to pouce
- Å to vershok
- Å to Danish mile
- Å to French point
- Å to Prussian ell
- Å to Prussian foot
- Å to Prussian inch
- Å to Prussian rod
- Å to Rhineland rod
- Å to Russian foot
- Å to Swiss hour
- Å to aln
- Å to aune
- Å to duim
- Å to dyuym
- Å to famn
- Å to liniya
- Å to pyad
- Å to Welsh mile
- Å to fjardingsvag
- Å to tochka
Spanish & Portuguese
- Å to Castilian vara
- Å to Spanish league
- Å to Texas vara
- Å to pulgada
- Å to Castilian foot
- Å to Mexican vara
- Å to braca
- Å to legua
- Å to Portuguese foot
- Å to Portuguese vara
- Å to palmo
- Å to polegada
- Å to Spanish pace
- Å to linea
- Å to linha
- Å to punto
Everyday comparisons
- Å to American football field
- Å to marathon
- Å to smoot
- Å to Earth circumference
- Å to Eiffel Tower height
- Å to Olympic pool length
- Å to banana
- Å to double-decker bus
- Å to soccer pitch length
- Å to Mount Everest height
- Å to blue whale length
- Å to credit card length
- Å to human hair width
- Å to Burj Khalifa height
- Å to Earth diameter
- Å to Empire State Building height
- Å to Statue of Liberty height
- Å to human height
- Å to giraffe height
- Å to grain of rice
- Å to paperclip length
- Å to pencil length
- Å to sheppey
- Å to smartphone length
Convert to ångströms
Frequently asked questions
What is a ångström?
The ångström (also written angstrom) is a unit of length equal to 10⁻¹⁰ meters, or one tenth of a nanometer.
How is the ångström defined?
Exactly 10⁻¹⁰ m (0.1 nm).
How many inches are in a ångström?
One ångström equals 3.9370079e-9 inches.
How many meters are in a ångström?
One ångström equals 1e-10 meters.
How many centimeters are in a ångström?
One ångström equals 1e-8 centimeters.