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Metric conversion worksheets

Converting between metric units of length, mass and capacity, where every step is a multiplication or division by ten, a hundred or a thousand.

Grade 3–Grade 7 · every refresh draws a new set · answer key included

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Metric conversion worksheets

Convert each measurement.

1.
24,000 mL =
2.
7 m =
3.
4 km =
4.
3,000 mL =
5.
6 L =
6.
5,000 g =
7.
7 g =
8.
12 L =
9.
18,000 mg =
10.
9 kg =
11.
13 L =
12.
1 cm =
13.
12,000 mg =
14.
12 g =
15.
13 g =
16.
16 km =
17.
19,000 m =
18.
5 km =
19.
11 km =
20.
22 kg =
Sheetsmith · sheetsmith.online · set fg43h3Sheet 1 of 2

Metric conversion worksheets — answer key

Convert each measurement.

1.
24,000 mL =24 L
2.
7 m =700 cm
3.
4 km =4000 m
4.
3,000 mL =3 L
5.
6 L =6000 mL
6.
5,000 g =5 kg
7.
7 g =7000 mg
8.
12 L =12000 mL
9.
18,000 mg =18 g
10.
9 kg =9000 g
11.
13 L =13000 mL
12.
1 cm =10 mm
13.
12,000 mg =12 g
14.
12 g =12000 mg
15.
13 g =13000 mg
16.
16 km =16000 m
17.
19,000 m =19 km
18.
5 km =5000 m
19.
11 km =11000 m
20.
22 kg =22000 g
Sheetsmith · sheetsmith.online · set fg43h3Sheet 2 of 2

20 problems · US Letter · answer key — 2 sheets, page breaks marked in the preview

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Set fg43h3 — this address always prints this exact worksheet.

What this worksheet is for

The metric system is the one part of measurement that is genuinely easy, because every step is a power of ten — which means the whole topic is place value wearing different units. That is worth saying to a class explicitly: converting 3.5 km to metres is the same operation as multiplying by a thousand, and a pupil who is fluent with place value should find this page almost mechanical. The conversion factors here come from the same source used across this site, so a kilometre is exactly a thousand metres and nothing is approximate.

Who it suits

Grade 3 to Grade 7, ages eight to thirteen, and the natural sheet for any class working in metric measure. Single steps — metres to centimetres — belong in Grade 3 and 4; the full mix, including converting downwards to a decimal, suits Grade 5 upwards.

How to use the settings

Pick one measure at a time while the pattern is being learned, because switching between length, mass and capacity on the same page hides the fact that the arithmetic is identical. Leave whole-number answers on at first: converting 250 g to kilograms gives 0.25, which is correct and is a decimal question as much as a conversion one. Turn it off once decimals are secure.

What goes wrong

Multiplying when the answer should be divided is the whole of this topic: pupils learn that a kilometre is a thousand metres and then apply the thousand in whichever direction comes first. The check to teach is size — converting to a smaller unit always gives a bigger number, and that single sentence catches most errors before they are written down.

Questions

Which way do I multiply?
Going to a smaller unit multiplies, going to a larger unit divides. Metres to centimetres multiplies by a hundred; centimetres to metres divides by it.
What does whole-number answers only do?
It picks starting values that convert exactly, so no answer is a decimal. With the setting off you get questions like 250 g in kilograms, which is a decimal answer and a slightly different skill.
Where do the conversion factors come from?
From the same unit definitions the rest of this site uses, taken from the published standards rather than typed in from memory — so the metric factors are exact by definition.