📏 Pica to Inches Converter
Convert picas, points & ciceros to inches, millimeters, and centimeters — with multi-value batch conversion
| Picas | Inches | Points | Millimeters | Centimeters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1p | 0.1667" | 12pt | 4.23mm | 0.423cm |
| 2p | 0.3333" | 24pt | 8.47mm | 0.847cm |
| 3p | 0.5000" | 36pt | 12.70mm | 1.270cm |
| 4p | 0.6667" | 48pt | 16.93mm | 1.693cm |
| 5p | 0.8333" | 60pt | 21.17mm | 2.117cm |
| 6p | 1.0000" | 72pt | 25.40mm | 2.540cm |
| 9p | 1.5000" | 108pt | 38.10mm | 3.810cm |
| 12p | 2.0000" | 144pt | 50.80mm | 5.080cm |
| 18p | 3.0000" | 216pt | 76.20mm | 7.620cm |
| 24p | 4.0000" | 288pt | 101.60mm | 10.160cm |
| 36p | 6.0000" | 432pt | 152.40mm | 15.240cm |
| 42p | 7.0000" | 504pt | 177.80mm | 17.780cm |
| 48p | 8.0000" | 576pt | 203.20mm | 20.320cm |
| 51p | 8.5000" | 612pt | 215.90mm | 21.590cm |
| 60p | 10.0000" | 720pt | 254.00mm | 25.400cm |
| 66p | 11.0000" | 792pt | 279.40mm | 27.940cm |
| 72p | 12.0000" | 864pt | 304.80mm | 30.480cm |
| Format / Use | Width (Picas) | Height (Picas) | Width (Inches) | Height (Inches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Letter | 51p | 66p | 8.5" | 11" |
| US Legal | 51p | 84p | 8.5" | 14" |
| US Tabloid | 66p | 102p | 11" | 17" |
| A4 | 49p10 | 70p4 | 8.268" | 11.693" |
| A5 | 35p2 | 49p10 | 5.827" | 8.268" |
| Business Card | 21p | 12p | 3.5" | 2" |
| Magazine (standard) | 48p | 66p | 8" | 11" |
| Newspaper Column | 14p | Variable | 2.333" | — |
| Postcard (4x6) | 24p | 36p | 4" | 6" |
| Half-Letter | 33p | 51p | 5.5" | 8.5" |
| Points | Picas | Inches | mm | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6pt | 0p6 | 0.0833" | 2.12mm | Footnote text |
| 8pt | 0p8 | 0.1111" | 2.82mm | Small body text |
| 9pt | 0p9 | 0.1250" | 3.18mm | Captions |
| 10pt | 0p10 | 0.1389" | 3.53mm | Body text |
| 11pt | 0p11 | 0.1528" | 3.88mm | Body text |
| 12pt | 1p0 | 0.1667" | 4.23mm | Body / 1 pica |
| 18pt | 1p6 | 0.2500" | 6.35mm | Subheadings |
| 24pt | 2p0 | 0.3333" | 8.47mm | Display text |
| 36pt | 3p0 | 0.5000" | 12.70mm | Headlines |
| 48pt | 4p0 | 0.6667" | 16.93mm | Large display |
| 72pt | 6p0 | 1.0000" | 25.40mm | |
| 96pt | 8p0 | 1.3333" | 33.87mm | Large heading |
Picas and inches both serve as units for length, and converting between them is not difficult when one knows the main proportions. In one pica there are around 0.16666666666667 inches. As one sees picas are much smaller than inches.
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Rather, in one inch there are 6 picas.
How to Convert Between Picas and Inches
Simple is the math that stands behind all this. To get inches from picas, one simply multiplies the amount of picas by 0.16666656666666. That gives the wanted result number.
For instance, for 12 picas just multiply that number by the proportion, and one has the result. On the other hand, to turn inches in picas, divide the result amount by 0.16666666666667. Like this one gets the picas.
The method works in both directions, which saves time.
One finds also some ties that are easy to recall. Twelve points form one pica. Six picas match to one inch.
And 72 points equal one inch. Like this the whole net is connected. Knowing those round values, one can quickly count in the mind, without always needing a calculator.
For instance, a size of 72 points usually reaches around one inch height.
The standard unit for spacing in print work is one pica. It is worth recalling for anyone that involves themselves with design ore planning.
Free online tools for converting picas to inches are available. Those tools usually carry tables for conversions and step by step guidelines, that show exactly how to do the math. Some of them allow to also turn picas or inches in other units of length.
Just enter the value in picas, and the results appear counted in real time. The process works both ways, from inches to picas or vice versa.
Picas mainly come up in tasks that involve much typography. Things like layouts for print, pamphlets and menus that benefit from picas, because the line height of the text becomes the main measure. Using picas, one eases the splitting of spaces compared to inches.
Splitting an inch in three parts results in ugly repeated decimals, for instance 0.33333, but with picas everything stays clearer. Two inches split by three give 0.666 with endless decimals, even though that same space is only 4 picas; simple andprecise.
Mistakes from rounding can sneak in during conversions, so always be sure to double check the results. The proportion between PostScript pica and international inch is 0.16666666666667. Online calculators help quickly check the math.
Those same pages commonly offer tables for conversions in metric units, including SI units, English units and other kinds of data about length, area, mass, pressure and more.
