Convert Mil to Cable
Convert mils to cables instantly. 1 mil = 1.37149e-7 cable — use the live calculator, the exact formula, a conversion table and worked examples. Also check the Cable to Mil converter for the reverse conversion.
Units explained
Mil
A mil (also called a thou) is an Imperial unit of length equal to one thousandth of an inch (1/1000 in = 0.0254 mm = 25.4 μm exactly). It is used in engineering, manufacturing, and materials specifications.
The mil is derived from the Latin mille, "thousand," denoting one-thousandth of an inch. Standardized in industrial use during the 19th-century rise of precision engineering.
Mils are used to specify thicknesses of plastic films, foils, paper, copper traces on printed circuit boards (PCBs), wire insulation, and paint coatings. A standard sheet of paper is about 4 mils thick.
Adopted in 19th-century engineering practice; the value (1/1000 in) became exact in 1959 when the inch was fixed at 25.4 mm via the International Yard and Pound Agreement. The British term is "thou"; American term is "mil".
Cable
A cable is a nautical unit of length equal to one tenth of a nautical mile (exactly 185.2 m). It is used in maritime navigation for short-distance descriptions.
The cable derives from the historical length of a ship's anchor cable. Standardised at one tenth of an international nautical mile in 1929.
Cables are used in modern maritime navigation when describing short distances between vessels, anchoring depths, and harbor manoeuvres. Common in naval and yachting contexts.
Standardised at 1/10 nautical mile by the International Hydrographic Organization in 1929.
Mil to Cable conversion formula
The relationship between mils and cables:
To convert mils to cables, multiply the value in mils by 1.37149e-7. To reverse, multiply cables by 7291338.582677165.
How to use this converter
Type a value into the calculator. The result in cables updates as you type. Tap a quick value, copy the result with one click, or use the swap arrow to jump straight to the Cable to Mil converter for the reverse direction.
Step-by-step: convert mils to cables
- Write down the value in mils (mil).
- Multiply that value by the factor 1.37149e-7.
- The product is the equivalent value in cables (cable).
- To reverse, multiply the cable value by 7291338.582677165.
Worked examples
Example 1 — Convert 1 mil to cable:
1 × 1.37149e-7 = 1.37149e-7 cable
Example 2 — Convert 100 mil to cable:
100 × 1.37149e-7 = 1.37149e-5 cable
Real-world example — Paper and film thicknesses
At the thickness of office paper (roughly 3 mils), converting between sub-millimeter units is routine for packaging and printing buyers comparing quotes from metric and US suppliers.
3 mil × 1.37149e-7 = 4.114471e-7 cable
Real-world example — Plastic-film thickness alternates
A 150-mil plastic film converts cleanly to cables — useful for packaging buyers reconciling supplier datasheets across metric and US measurement systems.
150 mil × 1.37149e-7 = 2.057235e-5 cable
Real-world example — Hair-width scale measurements
A 70-mil measurement (about the diameter of a human hair) is the kind of value materials engineers regularly express in adjacent micro-scale units like cables for direct comparison across supplier datasheets.
70 mil × 1.37149e-7 = 9.600432e-6 cable
Mil to Cable conversion table
Standard reference values for converting mils to cables:
| Mil [mil] | Cable [cable] |
|---|---|
| 0.01 | 1.37149e-9 |
| 0.1 | 1.37149e-8 |
| 1 | 1.37149e-7 |
| 2 | 2.742981e-7 |
| 3 | 4.114471e-7 |
| 4 | 5.485961e-7 |
| 5 | 6.857451e-7 |
| 10 | 1.37149e-6 |
| 20 | 2.742981e-6 |
| 30 | 4.114471e-6 |
| 40 | 5.485961e-6 |
| 50 | 6.857451e-6 |
| 100 | 1.37149e-5 |
| 500 | 6.857451e-5 |
| 1000 | 0.000137149 |
Frequently asked questions
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Popular length unit conversions
Convert Mil to other length units
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Metric / SI (7 units)
Imperial / US Customary (26 units)
Nautical (1 units)
Sources & references
Conversion factor (1 mil = 1.37149e-7 cable) verified against the following authoritative sources:
- BIPM — The International System of Units (SI Brochure 9th ed.)
Official BIPM publication defining the seven SI base units (including the meter) and the rules for their use. The global authority on units of measurement.
- NIST — Guide to the SI
US National Institute of Standards and Technology reference covering the SI base and derived units with definitions and usage rules for US technical practice.
- NIST Special Publication 811 — Guide for the Use of the International System of Units
Detailed NIST guide covering exact conversion factors between SI and US customary units along with formatting and rounding conventions.
- NIST — Refinement of values for the yard and pound (Federal Register 1959)
The treaty (signed by US
- International Hydrographic Organization — Resolution on the Nautical Mile
International authority that standardised the nautical mile at exactly 1852 m in 1929 — the value adopted worldwide for sea and air navigation.