Metric System Cheat Sheet
Metric System Prefixes
Prefix
Symbol
Numerically
Verbally
mega-
M
1,000,000
million
kilo-
k
1,000
thousand
hecto-
h
100
hundred
deka-
D
10
ten
deci-
d
0.1
tenth
centi-
c
0.01
hundredth
milli-
m
0.001
thousandth
micro-
µ
0.000001
millionth
You can combine the prefixes from the table on the left above with the basic units in the table on the
right above to create any unit and its abbreviation in the metric system.
Example: The prefix kilo means 1000, so 1 kilogram= 1000 grams.
To abbreviate it, combine the symbols for kilo (k) and gram (g).
kilogram= kg
Example: The prefix milli means 0.001, so 1 milliliter= 0.001 liters.
To abbreviate it, combine the symbols for milli (m) and liter (L)
milliliter= mL
Example: The prefix centi means 0.01, so 1 centimeter= 0.01 meters
To abbreviate it, combine the symbols for centi (c) and meter (m)
centimeter= cm
Converting Units
The staircase above can be used to easily convert between units on the periodic table. To convert
from one unit to another, count how many “steps” on the staircase it takes to reach the unit you want
to convert to. That is how many places you will move the decimal point.
Example: To convert from hectometers to decimeters, you count 3 steps to the right. So, you move
the decimal 3 places to the right, as seen below.
56 hectometers (hm) = 56,000 decimeters (dm)
Standard Metric Units
Measurement
Name of Unit
Abbreviation
Length
Meter
m
Mass
Gram
g
Temperature
Kelvin/Celsius
K/˚C
Time
Second
s
Volume (liquid)
Liter
L
Volume (solid)
Cubic Meter
m3