Convert Square Decimeter (dm²) to Circular Mil (circ mil) instantly.
About these units
Square Decimeter (dm²)
A square decimeter equals 100 square centimeters or 0.01 square meters. It is used in educational contexts, interior design, textiles, and packaging. Students often learn area concepts using dm² because it bridges the intuitive size of the square meter with the more granular cm². In design fields, dm² helps specify tile surfaces, patterns, laminates, and coverings. Industrial packaging may express surface areas (e.g., of labels or film wrapping) in dm² for regulatory or cost-calculation purposes. It offers a comfortable intermediate scale for everyday applications.
Circular Mil (circ mil)
A circular mil is defined as the area of a circle with a diameter of exactly one mil. Because wires and cables have circular cross-sections, the circular mil has become a standard unit in electrical engineering for specifying conductor sizes. One circular mil simplifies calculations because area scales directly with the square of wire diameter without needing π in computations. For example, doubling a wire's diameter increases its circular-mil area fourfold. This makes circular mils extremely convenient for determining ampacity, resistance, and voltage drop in electrical conductors. Even though SI units are common elsewhere, the circular mil remains entrenched in North American electrical codes.