Electric Resistivity Converter
ScienceConvert electric resistivity between ohm-metres, ohm-centimetres, and ohm-square millimetres per metre — used for wire and material selection.
From
To
All conversionsfor 1 Ohm-Square Millimetres per Metre (Ω·mm²/m)
| Ohm-Metres (Ω·m) | 0.000001 |
| Ohm-Centimetres (Ω·cm) | 0.0001 |
| Microhm-Centimetres (µΩ·cm) | 100 |
| Ohm-Square Millimetres per Metre (Ω·mm²/m) | 1 |
What is a Electric Resistivity?
The Electric Resistivity Converter converts electric resistivity between ohm-metres (SI), ohm-centimetres and microhm-centimetres (metric/CGS-adjacent), and ohm-square-millimetres-per-metre (the standard wire specification unit). Electric resistivity is an intrinsic material property describing how strongly a material resists current flow, independent of its specific shape — distinct from resistance, which also depends on a conductor's dimensions.
Enter a value in any supported unit and the converter calculates the equivalent instantly. For the related dimension-dependent quantity, see the Electric Resistance Converter.
How to use this Electric Resistivity calculator
- Choose your starting unit from the source dropdown — for example, "Ohm-Square Millimetres per Metre".
- Enter the numeric value you want to convert in the input field.
- Choose your target unit from the destination dropdown — for example, "Ohm-Metres (Ω·m)".
- Read the converted result, which updates instantly as you type or change units.
- Use the swap (⇅) button if you need to reverse the conversion direction.
- Use the copy button to grab the result for a conductor selection or materials comparison.
Formula & Methodology
The converter's base unit is ohm-metres (Ω·m). Every supported unit has a fixed multiplier: - 1 ohm-centimetre (Ω·cm) = 0.01 Ω·m - 1 microhm-centimetre (µΩ·cm) = 1 × 10⁻⁸ Ω·m - 1 ohm-square-millimetre per metre (Ω·mm²/m) = 0.000001 Ω·m Any conversion follows: Result = Input × (toBase of source unit ÷ toBase of target unit) Worked example — converting copper's resistivity of 0.0172 Ω·mm²/m to Ω·m: Result = 0.0172 × 0.000001 = 0.0000000172 Ω·m (1.72 × 10⁻⁸ Ω·m) This matches the standard reference value for copper's resistivity expressed in SI base units.
Frequently Asked Questions
Electric resistivity is an intrinsic material property measuring how strongly a material resists electric current flow, independent of the specific shape or size of a sample — unlike resistance, which depends on a conductor's length and cross-sectional area as well as its material.
Divide the Ω·mm²/m value by 1,000,000, since one ohm-square-millimetre-per-metre equals one-millionth of an ohm-metre. Enter your value with 'Ohm-Square Millimetres per Metre' as the source and 'Ohm-Metres (Ω·m)' as the target to apply this automatically.
Wire cross-sections are naturally measured in square millimetres and lengths in metres, so Ω·mm²/m produces conveniently-sized numbers for typical conductor materials (copper's resistivity is about 0.0172 Ω·mm²/m) compared to the much smaller numbers Ω·m would produce for the same material.
Resistance equals resistivity multiplied by length and divided by cross-sectional area (R = ρL/A) — resistivity is the fixed material property, while resistance also depends on the specific conductor's dimensions. See the [Electric Resistance Converter](/electric-resistance-converter/) for the resulting resistance quantity.
Copper has a resistivity of approximately 1.72 × 10⁻⁸ Ω·m (or 0.0172 Ω·mm²/m) at room temperature, making it one of the best commercially practical conductors — this value is frequently used as a reference point when evaluating alternative conductor materials.
Electrical conductivity is the mathematical reciprocal of resistivity (conductivity = 1 ÷ resistivity) — a material with low resistivity has high conductivity, and vice versa. See the [Electric Conductivity Converter](/electric-conductivity-converter/) for that inversely related quantity.
Yes — most conductors' resistivity increases with temperature (due to increased atomic vibration impeding electron flow), which is why precise resistivity values are always specified at a particular reference temperature, commonly 20°C or 25°C.
Semiconductor resistivity can be adjusted over many orders of magnitude through doping (adding controlled impurities), which is precisely why semiconductors are useful for building transistors and other electronic devices with tunable electrical properties.
Conductors like copper and silver have resistivity around 10⁻⁸ Ω·m, semiconductors range from roughly 10⁻⁵ to 10⁸ Ω·m depending on doping, and insulators can exceed 10¹⁶ Ω·m — a span of over 20 orders of magnitude across the full range of materials.
Electrical engineers selecting conductor materials for wiring or busbar design, materials scientists characterising new conductive materials, and semiconductor engineers working with doped material resistivity specifications all commonly need accurate resistivity unit conversion.
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