# Typography / CSS Unit Converter

> Convert between CSS length units: px, pt, pc, in, cm, mm, em, rem, and %. Default 16px base.

URL: https://uttir.com/typography-converter
Categories: converters, color-tools, web-tools
Privacy: Conversions run locally in your browser. No values are sent anywhere.

## About

CSS has many length units. Absolute units (px, pt, pc, in, cm, mm) are tied to physical measurements. Relative units (em, rem, %) are tied to font size or the root font size. The browser default font size is 16px; this converter assumes that base.

Note: the em and rem conversions depend on the font-size context. If a CSS rule sets a different base font size, the em values change accordingly.

## How to use

1. **Enter a value** — Type the length in any supported unit. The default is 1 px.
2. **Pick the units** — The from/to dropdowns cover all the CSS length units: px, pt, pc, in, cm, mm, em, rem, %.
3. **Mind the base** — em assumes 16px base (browser default). rem also assumes 16px root. If your CSS uses a different base, multiply the em/rem result accordingly.

## Examples

### 12pt to px

12pt (a common body-text size) is exactly 16px in CSS.

Input:

```
12 pt
```

Output:

```
= 16 px (at 96 DPI / 1px = 0.75pt)
```

## FAQ

### Why is 1em = 16px?

em is relative to the current font size; the browser default is 16px. If you set body { font-size: 18px }, then 1em in a child element would be 18px.

### When should I use pt instead of px?

Use pt for print stylesheets (@media print) where you want to match a physical point size. Use px for screen layouts, where pixels are the natural unit.

### How do I convert a print design (say 8.5x11 inches) to screen pixels?

Multiply by 96. 8.5 in = 816 px, 11 in = 1056 px. The 96 DPI is the CSS reference pixel and what most browsers use at 100% zoom.

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For the full HTML page with the live tool, visit https://uttir.com/typography-converter.
This file is the markdown rendering at https://uttir.com/typography-converter.md. See https://uttir.com/llms.txt for a site-wide summary.