Square Centimeter to Square Mile Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool

Convert square centimeters to square miles with our free online area converter.

From:

Square Centimeter

To:

Square Mile

How to Use the Calculator:

Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Square Centimeter).
The converted value in Square Mile will appear automatically in the 'To' field.
Use the dropdown menus to select different units within the Area category.
Click the swap button (⇌) to reverse the conversion direction.

How to Convert Square Centimeter to Square Mile

Converting Square Centimeter to Square Mile involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.

Formula:

1 Square Centimeter = 3.8610e-11 square miles

Example Calculation:

Convert 10 square centimeters: 10 × 3.8610e-11 = 3.8610e-10 square miles

Disclaimer: For Reference Only

These conversion results are provided for informational purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, we make no guarantees regarding the precision of these results, especially for conversions involving extremely large or small numbers which may be subject to the inherent limitations of standard computer floating-point arithmetic.

Not for professional use. Results should be verified before use in any critical application. View our Terms of Service for more information.

What is a Square Centimeter and a Square Mile?

The square centimeter (symbol: cm² or sometimes sq cm) is a unit of area in the International System of Units (SI). It represents the area of a square whose sides measure exactly one centimeter in length.

One square centimeter is equal to:

1/10,000 of a square meter (m²)
100 square millimeters (mm²)
Approximately 0.155 square inches (in²)

It is a derived SI unit, formed by squaring the SI base unit of length, the meter (via the centimeter).

The Square Mile (symbol: mi² or sq mi) is a unit of area within the British Imperial and United States customary systems. It is defined as the area of a square whose sides each measure exactly one statute mile (mi) in length.

Key relationships within the imperial/US customary system:

1 mi² = 1 mile × 1 mile
1 mile = 1,760 yards (yd) = 5,280 feet (ft)
Therefore, 1 mi² = (5,280 ft)² = 27,878,400 square feet (ft²)
1 mi² = (1,760 yd)² = 3,097,600 square yards (yd²)
1 mi² = 640 acres (ac) (This is a fundamental definition within the system)

In terms of metric units:

1 mile = 1.609344 kilometers (km) exactly (based on the international yard)
Therefore, 1 mi² = (1.609344 km)² ≈ 2.589988 square kilometers (km²)
1 mi² ≈ 259 hectares (ha)

Note: The Square Centimeter is part of the metric (SI) system, primarily used globally in science and trade. The Square Mile belongs to the imperial/US customary system.

History of the Square Centimeter and Square Mile

Metric System Origins: The concept of the square centimeter naturally arose with the establishment of the metric system during the late 18th century in France. As the centimeter (one-hundredth of a meter) was defined as a convenient subunit of length, the square centimeter became the corresponding unit for small areas.
SI Adoption: With the formalization of the International System of Units (SI) in the mid-20th century, the square meter (m²) was established as the coherent derived unit for area. The square centimeter (cm²), as a direct subdivision (1 cm² = 10⁻⁴ m²), is an accepted SI unit commonly used for measuring smaller areas where the square meter would be impractically large.

Origin (The Mile): The square mile is derived from the mile, a unit of length whose name comes from the Roman mille passus ("thousand paces"). The length of the mile varied considerably until the statute mile was defined by an English Act of Parliament in 1593 as 5,280 feet.
Imperial System: The square mile became the standard unit for measuring large land areas within the British Empire. Its definition based on the acre (640 acres per square mile) was particularly important for land surveying and administration, especially in the colonization of North America.
US Public Land Survey System (PLSS): The square mile, referred to as a section, is a fundamental unit in the PLSS, which was established by the Land Ordinance of 1785. This system was used to survey and divide vast amounts of land in the United States. Townships are typically defined as 36 square miles (a 6x6 grid of sections).
Standardization (International Mile): While the statute mile was legally defined, its exact relationship to metric units was solidified with the international agreement of 1959, which defined the yard (and thus the foot and mile) in terms of the meter. This fixed the conversion to square kilometers.
Continued Use: Despite global metrication, the square mile remains the primary unit for large land areas and geographical measurements in the United States and is still used in some contexts in the UK, Canada, and other countries with historical ties to the imperial system.

Common Uses for square centimeters and square miles

Explore the typical applications for both Square Centimeter (metric) and Square Mile (imperial/US) to understand their common contexts.

Common Uses for square centimeters

The square centimeter is frequently used for measuring relatively small surface areas across various fields:

Science: Measuring the surface area of small biological samples (like leaves or petri dishes), cross-sectional areas in physics and materials science, and quantifying reaction surfaces in chemistry.
Medical Imaging: Commonly used to report the area of skin lesions, wounds, organ cross-sections, or regions of interest in MRI, CT, or ultrasound scans.
Education: A fundamental unit in teaching geometry, area calculation, and understanding metric conversions in schools.
Manufacturing & Design: Specifying the area of small components, electronic parts (like integrated circuits), adhesive patches, or surface coating requirements.
Photography: Sometimes used informally to refer to the approximate size of smaller image sensors.
Retail & Labeling: Used on packaging to indicate the size of small items like stickers, patches, or fabric samples.

Common Uses for square miles

The square mile is used for measuring large areas, particularly land:

Geography and Cartography (US, UK, etc.): Measuring the area of cities, counties, states (in the US), national parks, large lakes, islands, and administrative regions in countries using imperial/US customary units.
Demography (US, UK, etc.): Calculating population density, typically expressed as inhabitants per square mile (people/mi²).
Land Surveying (US): A fundamental unit (section) in the Public Land Survey System used for defining property boundaries over large parts of the United States.
Real Estate (Large Tracts): Sometimes used for very large rural properties or ranches, although acres are often preferred.
Historical Documents: Common in older maps, land deeds, and geographical descriptions in relevant countries.
Environmental Science: Measuring the extent of large reserves, habitats, or areas affected by large-scale phenomena (e.g., wildfire extent) in relevant regions.

It is generally too large for measuring individual residential properties (acres or square feet are used) or room sizes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions About Square Centimeter (cm²)

How small is a square centimeter visually?

One square centimeter is the area of a square 1 cm by 1 cm. This is roughly:

The size of the nail on an adult human index finger.
Slightly smaller than a standard US postage stamp.
About the size of one face of a standard six-sided die.

How many square millimeters (mm²) are in a square centimeter (cm²)?

There are exactly 100 square millimeters (mm²) in one square centimeter (cm²). This is because 1 cm = 10 mm, so 1 cm² = (10 mm) × (10 mm) = 100 mm².

How many square centimeters (cm²) are in a square meter (m²)?

There are exactly 10,000 square centimeters (cm²) in one square meter (m²). This is because 1 m = 100 cm, so 1 m² = (100 cm) × (100 cm) = 10,000 cm².

How do you convert square centimeters (cm²) to square inches (in²)?

To convert square centimeters to square inches, multiply the value in cm² by approximately 0.155. For example, 10 cm² is roughly 1.55 in². Conversely, 1 square inch is approximately 6.4516 square centimeters.

Is the square centimeter (cm²) an SI unit?

Yes, the square centimeter (cm²) is a derived unit of area within the International System of Units (SI). While the coherent SI unit for area is the square meter (m²), the cm² (equal to 10⁻⁴ m²) is formed using an accepted SI prefix (centi-) and is widely used for convenience when measuring smaller areas.

When is cm² used instead of m²?

Square centimeters (cm²) are preferred when measuring areas significantly smaller than one square meter, where using m² would result in very small decimal numbers (e.g., 0.005 m²). It offers a more convenient scale for objects like small electronic components, biological samples, or details in medical images.

About Square Mile (mi²)

How many acres are in one square mile?

There are exactly 640 acres in one square mile. This is a defining relationship in the imperial and US customary systems.

How do you calculate the area of a square mile?

It is the area of a square with sides of one mile each. Since 1 mile = 5,280 feet: Area = 5,280 ft × 5,280 ft = 27,878,400 square feet (ft²).

How many square kilometers are in one square mile?

One square mile is equal to approximately 2.589988 square kilometers (km²). For practical purposes, it is often rounded to 2.59 km².

Conversion formula: Area [km²] ≈ Area [mi²] × 2.589988

Is the square mile an SI unit?

No, the square mile is not part of the International System of Units (SI). It belongs to the British Imperial and US customary systems. The corresponding SI-accepted unit for large areas is the square kilometer (km²) or the hectare (ha).

What is a "section" of land in the US?

In the US Public Land Survey System (PLSS), a section is a unit of land area nominally equivalent to one square mile (640 acres). Townships are typically formed from a 6-mile by 6-mile square, containing 36 sections.

How to convert 3 square miles to square yards

To convert 3 square miles to square yards, we need to use the conversion factor between square miles and square yards. 1 square mile = 3,097,600 square yards So, to convert 3 square miles to square yards, we multiply 3 by 3,097,600: 3 square miles = 3 * 3,097,600 = 9,292,800 square yards Therefore, 3 square miles is equal to 9,292,800 square yards.

Conversion Table: Square Centimeter to Square Mile

Square Centimeter (cm²)	Square Mile (mi²)
1	0
5	0
10	0
25	0
50	0
100	0
500	0
1,000	0

All Area Conversions

Square Meter to Square Kilometer Square Meter to Square Centimeter Square Meter to Square Millimeter Square Meter to Square Inch Square Meter to Square Foot Square Meter to Square Yard Square Meter to Square Mile Square Meter to Acre Square Meter to Hectare Square Kilometer to Square Meter Square Kilometer to Square Centimeter Square Kilometer to Square Millimeter Square Kilometer to Square Inch Square Kilometer to Square Foot Square Kilometer to Square Yard Square Kilometer to Square Mile Square Kilometer to Acre Square Kilometer to Hectare Square Centimeter to Square Meter Square Centimeter to Square Kilometer Square Centimeter to Square Millimeter Square Centimeter to Square Inch Square Centimeter to Square Foot Square Centimeter to Square Yard Square Centimeter to Acre Square Centimeter to Hectare Square Millimeter to Square Meter Square Millimeter to Square Kilometer Square Millimeter to Square Centimeter Square Millimeter to Square Inch Square Millimeter to Square Foot Square Millimeter to Square Yard Square Millimeter to Square Mile Square Millimeter to Acre Square Millimeter to Hectare Square Inch to Square Meter Square Inch to Square Kilometer Square Inch to Square Centimeter Square Inch to Square Millimeter Square Inch to Square Foot Square Inch to Square Yard Square Inch to Square Mile Square Inch to Acre Square Inch to Hectare Square Foot to Square Meter Square Foot to Square Kilometer Square Foot to Square Centimeter Square Foot to Square Millimeter Square Foot to Square Inch Square Foot to Square Yard Square Foot to Square Mile Square Foot to Acre Square Foot to Hectare Square Yard to Square Meter Square Yard to Square Kilometer Square Yard to Square Centimeter Square Yard to Square Millimeter Square Yard to Square Inch Square Yard to Square Foot Square Yard to Square Mile Square Yard to Acre Square Yard to Hectare Square Mile to Square Meter Square Mile to Square Kilometer Square Mile to Square Centimeter Square Mile to Square Millimeter Square Mile to Square Inch Square Mile to Square Foot Square Mile to Square Yard Square Mile to Acre Square Mile to Hectare Acre to Square Meter Acre to Square Kilometer Acre to Square Centimeter Acre to Square Millimeter Acre to Square Inch Acre to Square Foot Acre to Square Yard Acre to Square Mile Acre to Hectare Hectare to Square Meter Hectare to Square Kilometer Hectare to Square Centimeter Hectare to Square Millimeter Hectare to Square Inch Hectare to Square Foot Hectare to Square Yard Hectare to Square Mile Hectare to Acre