Convert Meters to Decimetres
1 meter is 10 dm. One meter is exactly 10 decimetres.
One meter is 10 decimetres. To convert meters to decimetres, multiply by 10; to go the other way, divide by 10 or multiply by 0.1. The factor is exact rather than rounded: it follows from NIST. The SI base unit, defined since 1983 by the distance light travels in 1/299,792,458 of a second.
Factor checked against the defining standard · How we check
- Meters × 10
1 * 1010 dm
1 meter in every length unit
| Unit | Value | Exact factor |
|---|---|---|
| inches | 39.37007874 in | × 39.3700787402 |
| feet | 3.280839895 ft | × 3.28083989501 |
| yards | 1.093613298 yd | × 1.09361329834 |
| miles | 0.0006213711922 mi | × 0.000621371192237 |
| millimeters | 1,000 mm | × 1,000 |
| decimetres | 10 dm | × 10 |
| centimeters | 100 cm | × 100 |
| meters (as entered) | 1 m | — |
| kilometers | 0.001 km | × 0.001 |
| nautical miles | 0.0005399568035 nmi | × 0.000539956803456 |
| micrometers | 1,000,000 µm | × 1,000,000 |
| nanometers | 1,000,000,000 nm | × 1,000,000,000 |
| thou | 39,370.07874 thou | × 39,370.0787402 |
Factors are entered by hand from NIST rather than derived from a units library, so the ones that terminate are exact rather than rounded.
The same converter answers this pair however it is written: metres to decimetres is the British spelling of the same units — the metre and the litre are spelled that way outside the United States and the quantity does not change.
How do you convert meters to decimetres? The converter and the working
- 1.Take the measurement in meters.
- 2.Multiply by 10 — that is how many decimetres fit in one meter.
- 3.To go back the other way, divide by 10, or multiply by 0.1.
Worked example: 25 meters to decimetres
- Formula
- m × 10 = dm
- Arithmetic
- 25 × 10 = 250 dm
- Answer
- 25 m = 250 dm
The factor is exact, so this figure is exact too — only the display is rounded.
Meters to decimetres conversion table
| Meters | Decimetres |
|---|---|
| 1 m | 10 dm |
| 2 m | 20 dm |
| 3 m | 30 dm |
| 4 m | 40 dm |
| 5 m | 50 dm |
| 6 m | 60 dm |
| 7 m | 70 dm |
| 8 m | 80 dm |
| 9 m | 90 dm |
| 10 m | 100 dm |
| 12 m | 120 dm |
| 15 m | 150 dm |
| 20 m | 200 dm |
| 25 m | 250 dm |
| 50 m | 500 dm |
| 100 m | 1,000 dm |
| 200 m | 2,000 dm |
| 300 m | 3,000 dm |
| 500 m | 5,000 dm |
| 1000 m | 10,000 dm |
| 2000 m | 20,000 dm |
| 5000 m | 50,000 dm |
| 10000 m | 100,000 dm |
What is a meter?
The SI base unit, defined since 1983 by the distance light travels in 1/299,792,458 of a second.
What is a decimetre?
A tenth of a metre. Rare in speech and unavoidable in definitions: the litre is a cubic decimetre, which is where the millilitre and the cubic centimetre meet.
How many decimetres are in a meter?
One meter is 10 decimetres, exactly. Going the other way, one decimetre is 0.1 meters. Both figures come from the same defined relation rather than from a measurement, which is why they are the same today as they were in 1959.
Every length unit here
The whole group — 13 units with their symbols and the size of each one in meters — is on the conversion index, along with every pair it makes. The table above already gives each of them relative to a meter.
Source: NIST — international yard and pound agreement (inch = 25.4 mm exactly)
Cite this page
- APA
- Rule Calculator. (2026). Convert Meters to decimetres. Rule Calculator. https://rulecalculators.com/convert/meter-to-decimeter
- MLA
- "Convert Meters to decimetres." Rule Calculator, August 16, 2026, https://rulecalculators.com/convert/meter-to-decimeter.
- Chicago
- Rule Calculator. "Convert Meters to decimetres." Rule Calculator. Last reviewed August 16, 2026. https://rulecalculators.com/convert/meter-to-decimeter.
The date is when the figures on this page were last checked against their source, not the day you opened it. Add your own access date if your style needs one.
Questions people actually ask
- How many decimetres are in a meter?
- 10. A tenth of a metre. Rare in speech and unavoidable in definitions: the litre is a cubic decimetre, which is where the millilitre and the cubic centimetre meet.
- How do I convert decimetres back to meters?
- Divide by 10, or multiply by 0.1 — they are the same operation.
Other length conversions
Decimetres to meters — the same conversion the other way.