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Conductivity Units

The SI conductivity unit is siemens per meter (S/m). Convert S/m, µS/cm, mS/cm, and S/cm for water tests, soils, and material datasheets.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the SI unit of electric conductivity?

The SI unit of electric conductivity is siemens per meter (S/m). Conductivity is the reciprocal of resistivity, so 1 S/m equals 1/Ω·m. Water-quality meters usually report microsiemens per centimeter instead of the SI conductivity unit; this hub converts those lab and field scales back to S/m.

How do I convert microsiemens per centimeter (µS/cm) to siemens per meter?

Divide µS/cm by 10,000: 1 µS/cm = 0.0001 S/m. Open our µS/cm to S/m converter when a TDS meter or hydroponics report uses microsiemens per centimeter and your model expects SI conductivity units.

What is the difference between electric conductivity and electric conductance?

Electric conductivity (S/m) is a material property—how easily charge moves through a substance, independent of sample size. Electric conductance (siemens, S) is the inverse of a component’s resistance and depends on geometry. Use this electric-conductivity hub for S/m, µS/cm, and mS/cm; use the conductance converter for bare siemens values.

What is the difference between S/m and S/cm for conductivity?

Siemens per centimeter is 100 times siemens per meter: 1 S/cm = 100 S/m. Semiconductor and aqueous-solution tables often use S/cm, while SI material models use S/m. Convert them here with S/m to S/cm or pick any other supported conductivity pair.

How accurate are electric-conductivity conversions on iConverters?

Conductivity results use standard defined relationships and calculate locally in your browser. Values align with references used in materials science textbooks, aqueous chemistry handbooks, and water-quality instrument manuals. No account is required, and visible answers on this electric-conductivity hub feed structured FAQ data.

What is the SI conductivity unit?

The SI conductivity unit is siemens per meter (S/m). Electric conductivity (σ) measures how easily charge carriers move through a material in an electric field. It is the reciprocal of resistivity: σ = 1 / ρ, so 1 S/m = 1/(Ω·m). Siemens honors Werner von Siemens; one siemens is the reciprocal of one ohm.

Silver has the highest electrical conductivity among common metals, followed by copper and gold. Copper is used for wiring because it combines high conductivity with cost and mechanical strength. Semiconductors such as silicon sit between metals and insulators, and ionic solutions carry current with dissolved ions—the basis of water-quality conductivity meters.

Common conductivity units and conversion factors

Use this factor table to convert common conductivity units to siemens per meter. 1 S/cm = 100 S/m. 1 mS/cm = 0.1 S/m. 1 dS/m = 0.1 S/m (the same as 1 mS/cm; soil-salinity reports often use dS/m). 1 µS/cm = 0.0001 S/m. 1 mho/m = 1 S/m (mho is an older name for siemens).

Water testers, hydroponics kits, and aquarium meters almost always display µS/cm or mS/cm. Material-science tables more often use S/m or S/cm. Enter any of these units in the calculator above instead of multiplying by hand.

Conductivity vs conductance vs resistivity

Electric conductivity vs conductance is a geometry difference. Conductivity (S/m) is a material property and does not depend on sample size. Conductance is measured in siemens (S) and is the inverse of a specific component’s resistance, so a thicker or shorter sample has higher conductance but the same conductivity.

Resistivity (Ω·m) is the reciprocal of conductivity. If a datasheet lists resistivity, invert it to get S/m, then convert to µS/cm or mS/cm as needed. Do not confuse electrical conductivity with thermal conductivity (W/(m·K)), which measures heat flow, not electric current.

Where each conductivity unit is used

Drinking-water, aquaculture, and TDS meters report µS/cm. Hydroponics and seawater work are usually in mS/cm. Soil extracts use dS/m. Semiconductor and aqueous-chemistry tables often list S/cm. Bulk metals are sometimes quoted in MS/m. Older instrument manuals may still say mho/m.

IEC, IUPAC, ASTM D1125, ISO 7888, and IEC 60746 describe how conductivity meters are calibrated and how results are reported. Temperature compensation matters: a solution’s conductivity rises with temperature, so lab reports should state the reference temperature (often 25 °C).