Metric Standards
Complete 24 SI Prefixes Guide & Multiplier Matrix
The International System of Units (SI) establishes 24 metric prefixes spanning 60 orders of magnitude. Adopted by the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM), these prefixes ensure consistent scaling across all physical quantities.
The Core Nano-to-Micro Step
1 Micro (µ) = 1,000 Nano (n) | 10⁻⁶ = 10⁻⁹ × 10³
Every prefix on the SI ladder differs from its neighboring named prefix by exactly $10^3 = 1,000$. This eliminates the irregular conversion factors common in imperial measurement systems.
Full 24 SI Prefixes Table
| Prefix | Symbol | Factor (Power of 10) | Numeric Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|
| quetta | Q | $10^{30}$ | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| ronna | R | $10^{27}$ | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| yotta | Y | $10^{24}$ | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| zetta | Z | $10^{21}$ | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| exa | E | $10^{18}$ | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| peta | P | $10^{15}$ | 1,000,000,000,000,000 |
| tera | T | $10^{12}$ | 1,000,000,000,000 |
| giga | G | $10^{9}$ | 1,000,000,000 |
| mega | M | $10^{6}$ | 1,000,000 |
| kilo | k | $10^{3}$ | 1,000 |
| hecto | h | $10^{2}$ | 100 |
| deca | da | $10^{1}$ | 10 |
| base unit | — | $10^{0}$ | 1 |
| deci | d | $10^{-1}$ | 0.1 |
| centi | c | $10^{-2}$ | 0.01 |
| milli | m | $10^{-3}$ | 0.001 |
| micro | µ | 10⁻⁶ | 0.000 001 |
| nano | n | 10⁻⁹ | 0.000 000 001 |
| pico | p | $10^{-12}$ | 0.000 000 000 001 |
| femto | f | $10^{-15}$ | 0.000 000 000 000 001 |
| atto | a | $10^{-18}$ | 0.000 000 000 000 000 001 |
| zepto | z | $10^{-21}$ | 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 001 |
| yocto | y | $10^{-24}$ | 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 001 |
| ronto | r | $10^{-27}$ | $10^{-27}$ |
| quecto | q | $10^{-30}$ | $10^{-30}$ |