How Many Pixels Is 1 cm?
The answer depends entirely on your screen's PPI. At the web standard of 96 PPI, 1 cm = 37.8 pixels. On a modern phone, the same centimetre contains over 180 pixels.
Pixels per cm at Common PPI Values
| PPI | Screen type | px per cm | px per mm | px per inch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | PDF / legacy print | 28.3 | 2.83 | 72 |
| 96 | Web standard (Windows) | 37.8 | 3.78 | 96 |
| 109 | 27" QHD monitor | 42.9 | 4.29 | 109 |
| 120 | Windows HiDPI baseline | 47.2 | 4.72 | 120 |
| 141 | 15.6" FHD laptop | 55.5 | 5.55 | 141 |
| 163 | 27" 4K monitor | 64.2 | 6.42 | 163 |
| 218 | 13" MacBook Air (M1) | 85.8 | 8.58 | 218 |
| 254 | 14" MacBook Pro (M3) | 100.0 | 10.0 | 254 |
| 326 | iPhone SE / Retina | 128.3 | 12.83 | 326 |
| 460 | iPhone 15 / 16 | 181.1 | 18.11 | 460 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pixels is 1 cm?
It depends on your screen's PPI. At the web standard of 96 PPI, 1 cm equals 37.8 pixels. On a modern laptop at 220 PPI, 1 cm equals 86.6 pixels. On an iPhone at 460 PPI, 1 cm equals 181 pixels. Formula: px per cm = PPI ÷ 2.54.
How many pixels is 1 cm at 300 DPI?
At 300 DPI (the standard for high-resolution printing), 1 cm equals approximately 118 pixels. This is why a 300 DPI A4 document is 2480 × 3508 pixels — that's 21 cm × 300 ÷ 2.54 = 2480 px.
What is the formula to convert cm to pixels?
Pixels = cm × (PPI ÷ 2.54). For example, at 96 PPI: 5 cm = 5 × (96 ÷ 2.54) = 5 × 37.8 = 189 pixels. You need to know your screen's PPI first — use our PPI calculator.
Why does 1 cm mean different pixel counts on different screens?
Pixels are not a physical unit — they are a count of dots. A high-PPI screen packs more dots per cm, so 1 physical centimeter contains more pixels. A 460 PPI phone screen has ~5× more pixels per cm than a 96 PPI monitor.
How many pixels is 1 mm?
At 96 PPI: 1 mm = 3.78 pixels. At 300 DPI: 1 mm = 11.81 pixels. Formula: px per mm = PPI ÷ 25.4.