Angstrom to nm Converter — Å to Nanometres
Convert a length in angstroms (Å) to nanometres, picometres, micrometres and metres. The conversion is exact: 1 Å = 0.1 nm = 100 pm = 10⁻¹⁰ m.
Å
1 Å = 0.1 nm exactly — divide angstroms by 10
- 1
Conversion: 1 Å = 0.1 nm
1 Å × 0.1Exact: 1 Å = 10⁻¹⁰ m and 1 nm = 10⁻⁹ m. - 2
Nanometres
5,500 × 0.1 = 550
How does this calculator work?
One angstrom (Å) equals exactly 0.1 nm, 100 pm, or 10⁻¹⁰ m. To convert Å to nm divide by 10; to convert nm to Å multiply by 10. Visible light spans 3800–7000 Å (380–700 nm); typical atomic radii are 0.5–3 Å.
Formula
How this is calculated
The angstrom (Å) equals exactly 10⁻¹⁰ metres, making the conversion to nanometres a trivial division by 10: nm = Å ÷ 10. There is no approximation — the relationship is a definition. To go the other way, multiply nanometres by 10 to get angstroms.
Angstroms remain widely used in atomic and molecular physics, crystallography, and spectroscopy because the quantities of interest — atomic radii (0.5–3 Å), covalent bond lengths (C–C ≈ 1.54 Å), X-ray wavelengths (0.1–10 Å), and crystal lattice spacings — are conveniently expressed as small whole numbers. Nanometres or picometres require decimal points or powers of ten for the same values. The angstrom is not an SI unit but is accepted for use with SI; modern literature increasingly prefers the picometre (pm = 10⁻¹² m = 0.01 Å) for bond lengths.
The visible light spectrum runs from 3800–7000 Å (380–700 nm), which the scale diagram marks when the result falls in the 0–2000 nm window. UV light sits below 380 nm, near-infrared begins above 700 nm. A hydrogen atom has a radius of about 0.53 Å (53 pm), and a typical protein is a few tens of nanometres across.
Frequently asked questions
Divide by 10 (or multiply by 0.1). So 5500 Å = 550 nm, which is green visible light. To convert nm back to Å, multiply by 10.
Atomic radii, bond lengths, and X-ray wavelengths are in the 1–10 Å range, which is more convenient than 0.1–1 nm. The unit pre-dates SI and remains entrenched in crystallography, surface science, and spectroscopy literature, though modern papers increasingly use picometres or nanometres.
1 Å = 100 pm. Both describe the same sub-nanometre length scale. Picometres are the SI unit and are used in IUPAC conventions for bond lengths (e.g. C–C = 154 pm). Angstroms remain common in older literature and in fields like X-ray crystallography.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Angstrom to nm Converter — Å to Nanometres [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/angstrom-to-nm-conversion-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Angstrom to nm Converter — Å to Nanometres." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/angstrom-to-nm-conversion-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Angstrom to nm Converter — Å to Nanometres," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/angstrom-to-nm-conversion-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_angstrom_to_nm_conversion_calculator, title = {Angstrom to nm Converter — Å to Nanometres}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/angstrom-to-nm-conversion-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
Did this calculator help you?