Luminance Converter
Luminance is how bright a surface appears — luminous intensity per unit area. The SI unit is the candela per square meter, commonly called the nit and used to rate display brightness. Cinema and older photometry use foot-lamberts and lamberts, which carry a factor of 1/π because they assume a perfectly diffusing surface.
15 units supported Base unit candela per square meter (cd/m²)
Multiply the number of candelas per square meter by 0.29186350796 to get foot-lamberts. How this is calculated
About luminance conversion
Luminance conversion is commonly needed when display and TV brightness, cinema projection, and signage.
Popular conversions
Convert Candela per Square Meter to other luminance units
1 cd/m² expressed in every other luminance unit on this site.
- Candela per Square Meter cd/m² 1
- Kilocandela per Square Meter kcd/m² 0.001
- Candela per Square Centimeter cd/cm² 0.0001
- Candela per Square Foot cd/ft² 0.09290304
- Candela per Square Inch cd/in² 0.00064516
- Stilb sb 0.0001
- Lambert L 0.00031415927
- Millilambert mL 0.31415927
- Foot-lambert fL 0.29186351
- Apostilb asb 3.1415927
- Skot sk 3,141.5927
- Bril bril 31,415,927
- Nit nt 1
- Millinit mnt 1,000
- Watt per cm² per Steradian (at 555 nm) W/(cm²·sr) (555 nm) 1.4641288e-7
Complete list of luminance units
All 15 units this converter supports, each stated against the candela per square meter (cd/m²).
| Unit | Symbol | System | In candelas per square meter | Conversions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candela per Square Meter | cd/m² | SI | base unit (cd/m²) | nits to foot-lamberts |
| Kilocandela per Square Meter | kcd/m² | SI | 1 kcd/m² = 1,000 cd/m² | — |
| Candela per Square Centimeter | cd/cm² | Metric | 1 cd/cm² = 10,000 cd/m² | — |
| Candela per Square Foot | cd/ft² | Imperial | 1 cd/ft² = 10.7639104167 cd/m² | — |
| Candela per Square Inch | cd/in² | Imperial | 1 cd/in² = 1,550.00310001 cd/m² | — |
| Stilb | sb | Metric | 1 sb = 10,000 cd/m² | — |
| Lambert | L | Metric | 1 L = 3,183.09886184 cd/m² | — |
| Millilambert | mL | Metric | 1 mL = 3.18309886184 cd/m² | — |
| Foot-lambert | fL | Imperial | 1 fL = 3.42625909964 cd/m² | foot-lamberts to nits |
| Apostilb | asb | Metric | 1 asb = 0.318309886184 cd/m² | — |
| Skot | sk | Other | 1 sk = 0.000318309886184 cd/m² | — |
| Bril | bril | Other | 1 bril = 3.18309886184e-8 cd/m² | — |
| Nit | nt | SI | 1 nt = 1 cd/m² | — |
| Millinit | mnt | SI | 1 mnt = 0.001 cd/m² | — |
| Watt per cm² per Steradian (at 555 nm) | W/(cm²·sr) (555 nm) | Other | 1 W/(cm²·sr) (555 nm) = 6,830,000 cd/m² | — |
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Frequently asked questions
What is the base unit for luminance?
Luminance conversions on this site are calculated against the candela per square meter (cd/m²).
Which luminance units can I convert?
You can convert between 15 units, including candela per square meter, kilocandela per square meter, candela per square centimeter, candela per square foot, and more.
Where is luminance conversion useful?
It is commonly needed when display and TV brightness, cinema projection, and signage.
Does this converter mix measurement systems?
The converter supports SI, Metric, Imperial, Other units and keeps their exact definitions separate so results stay accurate.
Related categories
Conversion factors are based on internationally agreed unit definitions. See our methodology and sources for details on how these values are verified.