Convert Picoliter (pL) to Femtoliter (fL) instantly.
About these units
Picoliter (pL)
A picoliter is 10⁻¹² liters, bridging the gap between femtoliters and nanoliters. Many biological cells—such as yeast—have volumes in the picoliter range. This makes the unit particularly important in cell biology, single-cell genomics, and droplet microfluidics. Inkjet printers famously eject droplets on the order of a few picoliters, illustrating a precise and widespread technological use. This droplet size affects print resolution, color quality, and material deposition accuracy. The picoliter is also used in chemical analysis, micro-sampling, and lab-on-chip devices, where controlling tiny fluid quantities is essential for efficiency and precision.
Femtoliter (fL)
A femtoliter represents 10⁻¹⁵ liters and is commonly used in hematology, particularly in describing red blood cell size. A typical red blood cell has a volume of roughly 80–100 fL, making this unit ideal for medical diagnostics. Beyond medicine, femtoliters are used in microfluidics and nanoparticle research, where reaction chambers or droplets often hold only a few dozen femtoliters of liquid. The femtoliter exemplifies how modern science pushes measurement into realms dominated by statistical motion, molecular interactions, and quantum effects—scales that once seemed impossible to quantify.