Convert luminance units — candela/m², nit, stilb, foot-lambert and more.
| Unit | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| cd/m² | Candela/Square Meter | 1 |
| sb | Stilb | 0.0001 |
| L | Lambert | 0.00031415915 |
| fL | Foot-lambert | 0.29186343 |
| cd/ft² | Candela/Square Foot | 0.09290313 |
| cd/in² | Candela/Square Inch | 0.00064516129 |
Formula: Candela/in² = Nit × 0.0006452
Multiply any Nit value by 0.0006452 to get Candela/in².
Reverse: Nit = Candela/in² × 1550
Common luminance values — factor: 1 nit = 0.0006452 cd/in²
| Nit (nit) | Candela/in² (cd/in²) | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 0.001 nit | 6.452e-07 cd/in² | Moonlit sky |
| 0.1 nit | 6.452e-05 cd/in² | Overcast sky |
| 1 nit | 0.0006452 cd/in² | Candle |
| 10 nit | 0.006452 cd/in² | Dim display |
| 50 nit | 0.03226 cd/in² | Dark room |
| 100 nit | 0.06452 cd/in² | SDR standard |
| 200 nit | 0.129 cd/in² | Office monitor |
| 500 nit | 0.3226 cd/in² | Bright screen |
| 1000 nit | 0.6452 cd/in² | HDR10 peak |
| 2000 nit | 1.29 cd/in² | Peak outdoor phone |
| 5000 nit | 3.226 cd/in² | Top-tier HDR |
| 1e+04 nit | 6.452 cd/in² | HUD daylight |
| 1e+05 nit | 64.52 cd/in² | Direct sunlight |
| 1e+06 nit | 645.2 cd/in² | Arc lamp |
| 1.600e+09 nit | 1.032e+06 cd/in² | Sun surface |
1 nit = 0.0006452 cd/in².
nit = cd/m² exactly. Use this as the bridge between SI and legacy units.
Multiply result by 1550 to recover the original nit value.
Specifies monitor, TV, and smartphone panel brightness in nits (cd/m²) for HDR grading and product specs.
Calibrates projector output to SMPTE standard of 14 foot-Lamberts for optimal image quality.
Calculates luminance of illuminated surfaces in cd/m² to evaluate glare and visual comfort.
Designs head-up displays exceeding 10,000 nits for daylight readability.
Converts between legacy (Lambert, stilb) and SI (cd/m²) units when reviewing historical data.
Specifies outdoor LED sign brightness in nits for visibility across ambient lighting conditions.
The nit (nt) is a non-SI unit of luminance equal to one candela per square meter (cd/m²). The name comes from the Latin nitere (to shine). While not part of the official SI system, it is universally used in the display industry.
Consumer electronics specifications universally use nits: OLED TVs peak at 1,000–2,000 nits for HDR; iPhone 15 Pro reaches 2,000 nits peak outdoor brightness; automotive head-up displays require 10,000+ nits for daylight visibility.
Interesting fact: The Apple Vision Pro headset achieves 5,000 nits in its micro-OLED displays — brighter than nearly any other consumer display. The standard for 'very bright' smartphone screens has escalated from 500 nits (2015) to 2,000+ nits (2024) due to outdoor usability demands.
Candela per square inch (cd/in²) is used in display engineering and high-brightness projector specifications where cd/m² values would be inconveniently large. One cd/in² = 1,550 cd/m².
Very high-brightness applications use cd/in²: aviation cockpit displays, outdoor digital signage, and laser projectors for cinema and simulation. A 10,000 nit HDR display = 6.45 cd/in²; a cinema laser projector at 60,000 lumens might achieve 20+ cd/in² on a small screen.
Interesting fact: Military aircraft cockpit displays must remain readable in direct sunlight (approximately 10,000 cd/m² ambient). Modern night-vision-compatible displays adjust from <0.001 cd/in² (night mode) to >6 cd/in² (day mode) — a range of over 6 million to one.
Luminance measures how bright a surface appears to a human observer. The SI unit is cd/m² (identical to the nit used in display industry). Older units — Lambert, foot-Lambert, and stilb — remain in cinema, photometry, and legacy specs. Key anchors: 100 cd/m² = SDR reference; 1,000 cd/m² = HDR10 peak; 14 fL = 48 cd/m² = SMPTE cinema standard.
Exact factor: 1 nit = 0.0006452 cd/in². Reverse: 1 cd/in² = 1550 nit.
All conversions use IEEE 754 double-precision arithmetic, accurate to at least 8 significant figures.