General Unit Conversions
After requests to add common units and metrics to the site, here are tables to help with looking up common data center and engineering conversions.
| Quantity | Metric Unit | Imperial Unit | Conversion Factor |
|---|
| Length | 1 meter (m) | 3.28084 feet (ft) | 1 m = 3.28084 ft |
| 1 centimeter (cm) | 0.3937 inches (in) | 1 cm = 0.3937 in |
| 1 millimeter (mm) | 0.03937 inches (in) | 1 mm = 0.03937 in |
| Area | 1 square meter (m²) | 10.7639 square feet (ft²) | 1 m² = 10.7639 ft² |
| 1 hectare (ha) | 2.47105 acres | 1 ha = 2.47105 acres |
| Volume | 1 liter (L) | 0.26417 gallons (gal) | 1 L = 0.26417 gal |
| 1 cubic meter (m³) | 35.3147 cubic feet (ft³) | 1 m³ = 35.3147 ft³ |
| Mass | 1 kilogram (kg) | 2.20462 pounds (lb) | 1 kg = 2.20462 lb |
| 1 gram (g) | 0.03527 ounces (oz) | 1 g = 0.03527 oz |
| Force | 1 newton (N) | 0.22481 pounds-force (lbf) | 1 N = 0.22481 lbf |
| Pressure | 1 pascal (Pa) | 0.000145 pounds per square inch (psi) | 1 Pa = 0.000145 psi |
| 1 kilopascal (kPa) | 0.145 psi | 1 kPa = 0.145 psi |
| 1 megapascal (MPa) | 145 psi | 1 MPa = 145 psi |
| Energy | 1 joule (J) | 0.0009478 British thermal units (BTU) | 1 J = 0.0009478 BTU |
| 1 kilojoule (kJ) | 0.9478 BTU | 1 kJ = 0.9478 BTU |
| 1 megajoule (MJ) | 947.8 BTU | 1 MJ = 947.8 BTU |
| Power | 1 watt (W) | 0.00134 horsepower (hp) | 1 W = 0.00134 hp |
| 1 kilowatt (kW) | 1.341 horsepower (hp) | 1 kW = 1.341 hp |
| 1 megawatt (MW) | 1341 horsepower (hp) | 1 MW = 1341 hp |
| Temperature | Celsius (°C) | Fahrenheit (°F) | °F = (°C × 9/5) + 32 |
| Speed | 1 meter per second (m/s) | 3.28084 feet per second (ft/s) | 1 m/s = 3.28084 ft/s |
| 1 kilometer per hour (km/h) | 0.62137 miles per hour (mph) | 1 km/h = 0.62137 mph |
| Torque | 1 newton meter (N·m) | 0.73756 pound-feet (lb·ft) | 1 N·m = 0.73756 lb·ft |
| Density | 1 kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m³) | 0.06243 pounds per cubic foot (lb/ft³) | 1 kg/m³ = 0.06243 lb/ft³ |
| Flow Rate | 1 liter per second (L/s) | 15.85 gallons per minute (gpm) | 1 L/s = 15.85 gpm |
| 1 cubic meter per hour (m³/h) | 4.403 gallons per minute (gpm) | 1 m³/h = 4.403 gpm |
Data center engineering unit conversions
| Quantity | Metric Unit | Imperial Unit | Conversion Factor |
|---|
| Power Density | 1 kilowatt per rack (kW/rack) | 3,412 British thermal units per hour per rack (BTU/hr/rack) | 1 kW/rack = 3,412 BTU/hr/rack |
| 1 watt per square meter (W/m²) | 0.0929 watts per square foot (W/ft²) | 1 W/m² = 0.0929 W/ft² |
| IT Energy Efficiency | Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) | No direct conversion (ratio) | PUE = Total Facility Power / IT Power |
| Battery Backup Capacity | 1 ampere-hour (Ah) | 3,600 coulombs (C) | 1 Ah = 3,600 C |
| 1 watt-hour (Wh) | 3,600 joules (J) | 1 Wh = 3,600 J |
| Cooling Efficiency | 1 kilowatt of cooling (kWcool) | 3,412 BTU per hour | 1 kWcool = 3,412 BTU/hr |
| 1 ton of cooling | 12,000 BTU per hour | 1 ton cooling = 12,000 BTU/hr |
| 1 coefficient of performance (COP) | 3.516 energy efficiency ratio (EER) | 1 COP = 3.516 EER |
| Airflow & HVAC | 1 liter per second (L/s) | 2.118 cubic feet per minute (CFM) | 1 L/s = 2.118 CFM |
| 1 cubic meter per second (m³/s) | 2,118 cubic feet per minute (CFM) | 1 m³/s = 2,118 CFM |
| 1 pascal (Pa) of static pressure | 0.00402 inches of water column (in. WC) | 1 Pa = 0.00402 in. WC |
| Data Transmission | 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) | 125 megabytes per second (MB/s) | 1 Gbps = 125 MB/s |
| 1 terabit per second (Tbps) | 125 gigabytes per second (GB/s) | 1 Tbps = 125 GB/s |
| Server Heat Load | 1 kilowatt per rack (kW/rack) | 3,412 BTU per hour per rack (BTU/hr/rack) | 1 kW/rack = 3,412 BTU/hr/rack |
| 1 Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) | 0.293 coefficient of performance (COP) | 1 EER = 0.293 COP |
| Raised Floor Load Capacity | 1 kilonewton per square meter (kN/m²) | 20.88 pounds per square foot (lb/ft²) | 1 kN/m² = 20.88 lb/ft² |
| Transformer Ratings | 1 kilovolt-ampere (kVA) | 0.8 kilowatts (kW) (assuming 0.8 power factor) | 1 kVA = 0.8 kW |
| Lightning Protection | 1 kiloampere (kA) | surge 1,000 amperes (A) | 1 kA = 1,000 A |
| Grounding Resistance | 1 ohm (Ω) | Follows Metric | Typically < 5 Ω for data centers |
| Power Distribution | 1 ampere at 208V AC | 208 watts (W) | 1 A at 208V = 208 W |
| 1 ampere at 480V AC | 480 watts (W) | 1 A at 480V = 480 W |
| Power Efficiency | 1 kilovolt-ampere (kVA) | 0.95 kilowatts (kW) at 95% efficiency | 1 kVA = 0.95 kW (95% eff.) |
