Convert kinematic viscosity units — m²/s, Stokes, centistokes, ft²/s and more.
| Unit | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| m²/s | Square Meter/Second | 0.0001 |
| cm²/s | Square Centimeter/Second | 1 |
| cSt | Centistokes | 100 |
| ft²/s | Square Foot/Second | 0.0010763915 |
| in²/s | Square Inch/Second | 0.15500031 |
Formula: cm²/s = Stokes × 1
Multiply any Stokes value by 1 to get cm²/s.
Reverse: Stokes = cm²/s × 1
Water reference (20°C): 0.01004 St = 0.01004 cm²/s
Values at ~20°C unless noted. Factor: 1 St = 1 cm²/s
| Stokes (St) | cm²/s (cm²/s) | Fluid |
|---|---|---|
| 0.00015 St | 0.00015 cm²/s | Air (20°C) |
| 0.005 St | 0.005 cm²/s | Petrol (gasoline) |
| 0.01004 St | 0.01004 cm²/s | Water (20°C) |
| 0.015 St | 0.015 cm²/s | Ethanol |
| 0.03 St | 0.03 cm²/s | Diesel fuel |
| 0.35 St | 0.35 cm²/s | SAE 10W motor oil |
| 0.84 St | 0.84 cm²/s | Olive oil |
| 1 St | 1 cm²/s | SAE 30 motor oil |
| 1.8 St | 1.8 cm²/s | SAE 90 gear oil |
| 14.1 St | 14.1 cm²/s | Glycerin (20°C) |
| 50 St | 50 cm²/s | Honey |
| 80 St | 80 cm²/s | Molasses |
| 500 St | 500 cm²/s | Tomato ketchup |
| 2500 St | 2500 cm²/s | Peanut butter |
| 1.000e+19 St | 1.000e+19 cm²/s | Glass (room temp) |
1 St = 1 cm²/s.
Water at 20°C = 1 cSt = 0.01 St = 10⁻⁶ m²/s. Use as reference.
Multiply result by 1 to recover the original St value.
Specifies lubricant viscosity grades in cSt at 40°C and 100°C per ISO VG and SAE standards.
Uses kinematic viscosity in cSt for pipeline flow calculations, pump sizing, and heat exchanger design.
Measures crude oil and refined product viscosity in cSt for pipeline transport and refinery design.
Selects hydraulic fluids based on kinematic viscosity in cSt for pump compatibility and system efficiency.
Characterizes food product viscosity (honey, sauces, oils) in cSt for process design and quality control.
Uses ft²/s or cSt for atmospheric kinematic viscosity in Reynolds number calculations for aircraft design.
The Stokes (St) is the CGS unit of kinematic viscosity, equal to exactly 1 cm²/s = 10⁻⁴ m²/s. It was named after Sir George Gabriel Stokes by the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1882.
The Stokes is used in petroleum engineering and some industrial viscometer specifications. Water at 20°C = 0.01 St = 1 cSt. Engine oils range from 50–200 cSt (0.5–2 St) at 40°C. Pourable molasses is about 5–10 St (500–1,000 cSt).
Interesting fact: George Stokes was also the first to explain fluorescence (Stokes shift), derive the Navier-Stokes equations of fluid motion, and develop the theory of diffraction. His work in fluid mechanics in the 1840s–1850s remains fundamental to modern engineering.
Square centimeter per second (cm²/s) equals exactly 1 Stokes — the CGS unit of kinematic viscosity. The equivalence cm²/s = St makes this unit important in older fluid mechanics literature and some industrial applications.
cm²/s = St is used in petroleum engineering viscometers, some lubricant standards, and pre-SI fluid mechanics texts. Water at 20°C = 0.01 cm²/s = 0.01 St = 1 cSt. Honey ≈ 500–10,000 cSt = 5–100 cm²/s.
Interesting fact: The Stokes unit is named after Sir George Gabriel Stokes, the Irish physicist who derived Stokes' Law (1851) describing the drag force on a sphere moving through a viscous fluid — the foundational equation for falling-sphere viscometers still used today.
Kinematic viscosity (ν = μ/ρ) measures how a fluid flows under gravity. The cSt is dominant in industry; m²/s is the SI unit; St and cm²/s are the CGS equivalents. Key anchor: water at 20°C ≈ 1 cSt = 10⁻⁶ m²/s = 0.01 St.
Exact factor: 1 St = 1 cm²/s. Reverse: 1 cm²/s = 1 St.
All conversions use IEEE 754 double-precision arithmetic, accurate to at least 8 significant figures.