Density Converter: kg/m³, g/cm³, lb/ft³
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1 kg/m³ = 0.001 g/cm³It is lighter than air: it would rise like a balloon.
A kilogram of it fills a cube 1 m on each side; a kilogram of water fills one 10 cm on each side.
Density is how heavy something is for its size: a liter of water weighs 1 kg, a liter of gold more than 19 kg. Anything less dense than water floats in it, anything denser sinks.
All Results
Quick Reference Table: Kilogram per cubic meter → Gram per cubic centimeter
| Value (kg/m³) | Result (g/cm³) |
|---|---|
| 1 kg/m³ | 0.001 g/cm³ |
| 100 kg/m³ | 0.1 g/cm³ |
| 500 kg/m³ | 0.5 g/cm³ |
| 789 kg/m³ | 0.789 g/cm³ |
| 1,000 kg/m³ | 1 g/cm³ |
| 1,025 kg/m³ | 1.025 g/cm³ |
| 2,700 kg/m³ | 2.7 g/cm³ |
| 7,874 kg/m³ | 7.874 g/cm³ |
| 8,960 kg/m³ | 8.96 g/cm³ |
| 11,340 kg/m³ | 11.34 g/cm³ |
| 19,320 kg/m³ | 19.32 g/cm³ |
About Density Conversions
Density is the mass of a substance per unit of volume. The SI unit is kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m³). In everyday and scientific use, grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm³) is common: water has a density of exactly 1 g/cm³ at 4 °C, which equals 1,000 kg/m³. An object floats if its density is lower than that of the liquid or gas around it. Some typical values: air about 1.2 kg/m³, wood about 500-900 kg/m³, aluminum about 2,700 kg/m³, iron about 7,874 kg/m³, lead about 11,340 kg/m³, gold about 19,320 kg/m³.
Density of Common Materials
Typical densities at room temperature and standard atmospheric pressure, unless the row says otherwise. Water is the reference point: exactly 1 g/cm³, or 1,000 kg/m³, at 4 °C.
| Material | kg/m³ | g/cm³ | lb/ft³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air (20 °C) | 1.204 | 0.001204 | 0.07516 |
| Cork | 240 | 0.24 | 14.98 |
| Pine wood | 500 | 0.5 | 31.21 |
| Petrol (gasoline) | 745 | 0.745 | 46.51 |
| Ethanol | 789 | 0.789 | 49.26 |
| Diesel fuel | 840 | 0.84 | 52.44 |
| Olive oil | 915 | 0.915 | 57.12 |
| Ice (0 °C) | 917 | 0.917 | 57.25 |
| Water (4 °C) | 1,000 | 1 | 62.43 |
| Seawater | 1,025 | 1.025 | 63.99 |
| Milk | 1,030 | 1.03 | 64.3 |
| Honey | 1,420 | 1.42 | 88.65 |
| Sand (dry) | 1,600 | 1.6 | 99.88 |
| Brick | 1,900 | 1.9 | 118.6 |
| Concrete | 2,400 | 2.4 | 149.8 |
| Glass | 2,500 | 2.5 | 156.1 |
| Aluminum | 2,700 | 2.7 | 168.6 |
| Granite | 2,750 | 2.75 | 171.7 |
| Titanium | 4,500 | 4.5 | 280.9 |
| Steel | 7,850 | 7.85 | 490.1 |
| Iron | 7,874 | 7.874 | 491.6 |
| Copper | 8,960 | 8.96 | 559.4 |
| Silver | 10,490 | 10.49 | 654.9 |
| Lead | 11,340 | 11.34 | 707.9 |
| Mercury | 13,534 | 13.53 | 844.9 |
| Gold | 19,320 | 19.32 | 1,206 |
| Platinum | 21,450 | 21.45 | 1,339 |
History of density and the kilogram
Water was the metric system's first measure of mass: a gram was defined as the mass of a cubic centimeter of it, which is why water's density is so close to a round 1 g/cm³.
- A French law on weights and measures defined the gram as the weight of pure water filling a cube one hundredth of a meter on each side, at the temperature of melting ice.
- A cylinder of platinum, the kilogram of the Archives, became the standard of mass; the water definition had only been used to size it.
- A new international prototype, a cylinder of platinum and iridium made to match the kilogram of the Archives, became the kilogram for the whole world.
- The kilogram was redefined by fixing the Planck constant, so the unit of mass now rests on a constant of nature rather than on an object.
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