Surface Tension Converter
Surface tension is the energy needed to increase a liquid's surface area, expressed as force per unit length. The SI unit is the newton per meter, though almost all published data uses dynes per centimeter, which are identical in size to millinewtons per meter. Water at 20 °C measures about 72.8 dyn/cm.
14 units supported Base unit newton per meter (N/m)
Dynes per Centimeter and Millinewtons per Meter are the same size, so the value does not change. How this is calculated
About surface tension conversion
Surface Tension conversion is commonly needed when coatings, inkjet formulation, detergents, and wetting studies. Dynes per centimetre and millinewtons per metre are numerically identical, so published data in either unit can be compared directly.
Popular conversions
Convert Dyne per Centimeter to other surface tension units
1 dyn/cm expressed in every other surface tension unit on this site.
- Newton per Meter N/m 0.001
- Millinewton per Meter mN/m 1
- Newton per Centimeter N/cm 0.00001
- Newton per Millimeter N/mm 0.000001
- Dyne per Centimeter dyn/cm 1
- Dyne per Millimeter dyn/mm 0.1
- Dyne per Meter dyn/m 100
- Erg per Square Centimeter erg/cm² 1
- Erg per Square Millimeter erg/mm² 0.01
- Gram-force per Centimeter gf/cm 0.0010197162
- Kilogram-force per Meter kgf/m 0.00010197162
- Pound-force per Inch lbf/in 0.0000057101472
- Pound-force per Foot lbf/ft 0.000068521766
- Poundal per Inch pdl/in 0.00018371855
Complete list of surface tension units
All 14 units this converter supports, each stated against the newton per meter (N/m).
| Unit | Symbol | System | In newtons per meter | Conversions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton per Meter | N/m | SI | base unit (N/m) | n/m to dyn/cm |
| Millinewton per Meter | mN/m | SI | 1 mN/m = 0.001 N/m | — |
| Newton per Centimeter | N/cm | SI | 1 N/cm = 100 N/m | — |
| Newton per Millimeter | N/mm | SI | 1 N/mm = 1,000 N/m | — |
| Dyne per Centimeter | dyn/cm | Metric | 1 dyn/cm = 0.001 N/m | dyn/cm to n/m |
| Dyne per Millimeter | dyn/mm | Metric | 1 dyn/mm = 0.01 N/m | — |
| Dyne per Meter | dyn/m | Metric | 1 dyn/m = 0.00001 N/m | — |
| Erg per Square Centimeter | erg/cm² | Metric | 1 erg/cm² = 0.001 N/m | — |
| Erg per Square Millimeter | erg/mm² | Metric | 1 erg/mm² = 0.1 N/m | — |
| Gram-force per Centimeter | gf/cm | Metric | 1 gf/cm = 0.980665 N/m | — |
| Kilogram-force per Meter | kgf/m | Metric | 1 kgf/m = 9.80665 N/m | — |
| Pound-force per Inch | lbf/in | Imperial | 1 lbf/in = 175.126835246 N/m | — |
| Pound-force per Foot | lbf/ft | Imperial | 1 lbf/ft = 14.5939029372 N/m | — |
| Poundal per Inch | pdl/in | Imperial | 1 pdl/in = 5.44310844 N/m | — |
No unit in this category matches that search.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Frequently asked questions
What is the base unit for surface tension?
Surface Tension conversions on this site are calculated against the newton per meter (N/m).
Which surface tension units can I convert?
You can convert between 14 units, including newton per meter, millinewton per meter, newton per centimeter, newton per millimeter, and more.
Where is surface tension conversion useful?
It is commonly needed when coatings, inkjet formulation, detergents, and wetting studies.
Does this converter mix measurement systems?
The converter supports SI, Metric, Imperial 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.