Electric Conductivity Converter — Siemens per Meter Converter
Convert electric conductivity between different units including S/m, S/cm, mS/m, mS/cm, μS/cm, and more. Essential for water quality testing, material science, and electrical engineering. Electric conductivity measures how easily a material allows electric current to flow. See also our Electric Resistivity Converter and Current Converter.
Value:
How to Convert Electric Conductivity
- Enter the electric conductivity value in the input field above.
- Select the unit you are converting from in the "From" dropdown menu.
- Select the unit you want to convert to in the "To" dropdown menu.
- The result will automatically appear in the result field.
- Use the copy button to copy the result to your clipboard.
- Click any conversion in the list below to quickly select those units.
Electric Conductivity Formula
Electric Conductivity Definition:
σ = 1/ρ = J/E
Where:
σ = Conductivity (S/m)
ρ = Resistivity (Ω·m)
J = Current density (A/m²)
E = Electric field (V/m)
Unit Conversion Formula:
σ₂ = σ₁ × (conversion_factor₁ / conversion_factor₂)
Common Units:
SI Unit: S/m (Siemens per meter)
Common: mS/cm (water quality), μS/cm
Legacy: mho/m, mho/cm
CGS: abmho/m, statmho/m
Unit Relationships:
1 S/m = 0.01 S/cm = 1000 mS/m
1 S/m = 10 mS/cm = 10000 μS/cm
1 S/m = 10⁶ μS/m
1 S/m = 1 mho/m (siemens = mho)
Ohm's Law (microscopic):
J = σE
Conductance:
G = σA/L (siemens)
Where: A = area, L = lengthExample Conversion
Problem: Convert 500 μS/cm (typical tap water) to mS/m and S/m.
Given: σ = 500 μS/cm
Solution:
• To mS/m: 500 μS/cm × (10⁻⁴ S/cm per μS/cm) × (1000 mS/m per S/m) = 500 × 0.1 / 0.001 = 50 mS/m
• To S/m: 500 μS/cm × 10⁻⁴ = 0.05 S/m
Answer: 500 μS/cm = 50 mS/m = 0.05 S/m
Technical Details
Electric conductivity is the reciprocal of resistivity and measures how easily a material conducts electric current. It is widely used in water quality testing (measured in μS/cm or mS/cm), soil science, material characterization, and process control. The SI unit is siemens per meter (S/m), named after Werner von Siemens.
In water quality, conductivity indicates dissolved ion content: pure water has ~0.055 μS/cm, drinking water 200-800 μS/cm, and seawater ~50,000 μS/cm (5 S/m). For metals, copper has σ = 5.96×10⁷ S/m and is the reference standard (100% IACS). Temperature significantly affects conductivity, typically increasing ~2% per degree Celsius for aqueous solutions.
Electric Conductivity Reference Table
| Material/Solution | Conductivity | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra-pure water | 0.055 μS/cm | Semiconductor manufacturing |
| Distilled water | 0.5-3 μS/cm | Laboratory use |
| Drinking water | 200-800 μS/cm | Municipal water supply |
| Seawater | ~50,000 μS/cm | Oceanography reference |
| Copper (20°C) | 5.96×10⁷ S/m | Electrical wiring standard |
| Aluminum (20°C) | 3.77×10⁷ S/m | Power transmission |
| Silicon (doped) | 10⁻³ to 10³ S/m | Semiconductor devices |
| Glass | 10⁻¹² to 10⁻¹⁰ S/m | Electrical insulation |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is electric conductivity?
Electric conductivity is a material property that quantifies how easily electric current flows through it. It is the reciprocal of resistivity (σ = 1/ρ) and is measured in siemens per meter (S/m). Higher conductivity means the material is a better conductor.
Why is conductivity measured in μS/cm for water?
Water conductivity is typically in the range of 0.055 to 50,000 μS/cm, making microsiemens per centimeter a convenient unit. It directly indicates dissolved ion content and is used for water purity testing, aquaculture, and industrial process control.
What is the difference between siemens and mho?
Siemens (S) and mho are the same unit - both equal the reciprocal of one ohm. The siemens is the modern SI name (adopted 1971), while mho (ohm spelled backwards) is the older term still occasionally used in some industries.
How does temperature affect conductivity?
For aqueous solutions, conductivity typically increases ~2% per degree Celsius due to increased ion mobility. For metals, conductivity decreases with temperature as lattice vibrations increase electron scattering. Measurements are often referenced to 25°C.
What is %IACS in conductivity?
%IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard) expresses conductivity relative to annealed copper (100% IACS = 5.8×10⁷ S/m). It is used in metallurgy and wire manufacturing. Aluminum is about 61% IACS, while some copper alloys exceed 100% IACS.
Objective of Measurement:
Measurement is the most important aspect of our life. We use measurement in science, engineering, business trading, personal life, education, and more other fields. As technology is growing day by day so we need a highly accurate and easy convenient global measuring system in each and every field. It is essential to use standard measurement in every field that everyone to be sure that they not get cheated.
History of Measurement:
In history for measurement people used the human body as a tool. For measuring length used forearm, hand, foot & finger as a unit. The foot, finger is a subdivided shorter unit of a length. This type of measurement is not accurate cause different in size of the arm & finger for different people & some of the countries still using it. In history, there were lots of measuring systems developed but mostly used imperial, the metric system of measurement. We use these systems for measure distances, volume, weight, speed, area etc. Due to this a major problem everyone is facing while doing trading between the countries. A huge improvement in civilization, It necessary to improve measuring standards. Nowadays International Standard (SI) units are used as a global measurement system.
Electric Conductivity Conversion - Unit Converter:
Our electric conductivity conversion converter convert siemens/meter [S/m], siemens/centimeter [S/cm], millisiemens/meter [mS/m], millisiemens/centimeter [mS/cm], microsiemens/meter [μS/m], microsiemens/centimeter [μS/cm], kilosiemens/meter [kS/m], megasiemens/meter [MS/m], mho/meter [mho/m], mho/centimeter [mho/cm], abmho/meter [abmho/m], statmho/meter [statmho/m] vice versa with metric conversion.
Electric conductivity conversions & its abbreviations
| Unit | Abbreviation | Unit | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| siemens/meter | S/m | siemens/centimeter | S/cm |
| millisiemens/meter | mS/m | millisiemens/centimeter | mS/cm |
| microsiemens/meter | μS/m | microsiemens/centimeter | μS/cm |
| kilosiemens/meter | kS/m | megasiemens/meter | MS/m |
| mho/meter | mho/m | mho/centimeter | mho/cm |
| abmho/meter | abmho/m | statmho/meter | statmho/m |
Complete list of Electric conductivity conversion units and its conversion.
1 siemens/meter [S/m] = 0.01 siemens/centimeter [S/cm]
1 siemens/centimeter [S/cm] = 100 siemens/meter [S/m]
1 siemens/meter [S/m] = 1000 millisiemens/meter [mS/m]
1 millisiemens/meter [mS/m] = 0.001 siemens/meter [S/m]
1 siemens/meter [S/m] = 10 millisiemens/centimeter [mS/cm]
1 millisiemens/centimeter [mS/cm] = 0.1 siemens/meter [S/m]
1 siemens/meter [S/m] = 10000 microsiemens/centimeter [μS/cm]
1 microsiemens/centimeter [μS/cm] = 0.0001 siemens/meter [S/m]
1 siemens/meter [S/m] = 1 mho/meter [mho/m]
1 mho/meter [mho/m] = 1 siemens/meter [S/m]