The decimetre ( in American English; symbol: dm) is a unit of length in the International System of Units, equal to one tenth of a metre, ten centimetres, one hundred millimetres, and 3.937 inches.
The common non-SI metric unit of volume, the litre, is defined as one cubic decimetre, although, from 1901 to 1964, there was a slight difference between the two due to the litre being defined using the kilogram rather than the metre.
The path length when measuring a chemical compound's specific rotation is measured in decimetres.
Markings of a ship's draught are shown in decimetres in most of the world.
See also
- Metric prefix
- Deci-
- Conversion of units, for comparison with other units of length.