Decimeter to Meter Converter

Ten decimetres make a metre, so divide by 10. Decimetres show up in school maths, in some European technical drawings and in volume work, where 1 dm³ equals 1 litre.

How to use the Decimeter to Meter Converter

1. Type the number of decimetres into the Decimetres field. Decimals such as 5 are fine.
2. Read the answer in Metres – it updates as you type, with no button to press.
3. To convert the other way, type into Metres and the decimetres are recalculated.
4. Press Copy results to copy both values with the page title, or Copy link to share this exact conversion.

This page converts only dm ⇄ m. Need a different unit? Use the general length converter, where you can choose any “from” and “to” unit.

How it works

Both units measure length, so they are always in the same ratio: one decimetre equals 0.1 metres. The calculator multiplies the number of decimetres you type by 0.1 to give metres, and when you type into the metres field it divides by the same factor to give decimetres. Because the ratio never changes, doubling the decimetres always doubles the metres. Results are calculated at full precision and rounded only for display (up to eight decimal places, with very large or small values shown in scientific notation).

How to convert decimetres to metres

1. Write down the value in decimetres, for example 10 dm.
2. Multiply by the conversion factor 0.1 (because 1 decimetre = 0.1 m).
3. 10 × 0.1 = 1 m.
4. To go back from metres to decimetres, divide by 0.1 – or multiply by 10.

dm to m conversion table

What is a decimetre?

A decimetre is one tenth of a metre (10 cm). It is rarely used for length on its own, but one cubic decimetre is exactly one litre.

What is a metre?

The metre is the SI base unit of length. Since 1983 it has been defined as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second, which ties it to a fundamental constant rather than a physical bar of metal.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mixing the international foot (0.3048 m) with the old u.s. survey foot, confusing nautical and statute miles, and writing decimal feet such as 5.5 ft as “5 ft 5 in” (it is 5 ft 6 in).