Centimeters to Decimeters Converter
Type a length in centimeters and the equivalent in decimeters appears at once. Ten centimeters make one decimeter, so the answer is your number with the decimal point moved one place to the left.
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Created by the Reeliy Editorial Team. Last updated: Oct 19, 2026
How many centimeters are in a decimeter?
There are 10 centimeters in 1 decimeter. The metric prefixes do the work: deci- stands for one tenth and centi- for one hundredth, so a decimeter is 0.1 m and a centimeter is 0.01 m. Dividing one by the other gives exactly 10, with no rounding involved.
decimeters = centimeters ÷ 10To go the other way, multiply decimeters by 10.
In practice you only slide the decimal point one place to the left: 85 cm is 8.5 dm and 6 cm is 0.6 dm.
Where the decimeter is used
The decimeter is a sensible size, roughly the width of a hand, yet it is rarely printed on products. You meet it mostly in school geometry and in the definition of the liter: a cube measuring 1 dm along every edge holds exactly one liter, so 1 dm³ = 1 L.
That link makes the conversion handy when you turn a box or tank measured in centimeters into a capacity. Convert each edge to decimeters, multiply the three numbers, and the product is already in liters.
How to convert cm to dm
- Enter the length in centimeters in the top box. Decimals are fine.
- Read the length in decimeters from the box underneath. It updates as you type.
- Copy the figure, or divide by 10 yourself to double-check.
Example 1. A pencil that is 18 cm long measures 18 ÷ 10 = 1.8 dm.
Example 2. A shelf board 128.6 cm wide is 128.6 ÷ 10 = 12.86 dm.
Example 3. A storage box measures 30 cm × 20 cm × 10 cm. In decimeters that is 3 × 2 × 1, a volume of 6 dm³, which is 6 liters. Working in centimeters gives 6,000 cm³, and 6,000 ÷ 1,000 = 6 as well.
Areas and volumes use the square and the cube of the factor. 1 dm² equals 100 cm² and 1 dm³ equals 1,000 cm³, so never divide an area or a volume by 10.
Centimeters to decimeters table
| Centimeters (cm) | Decimeters (dm) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.1 |
| 2 | 0.2 |
| 5 | 0.5 |
| 10 | 1 |
| 15 | 1.5 |
| 20 | 2 |
| 25 | 2.5 |
| 30 | 3 |
| 50 | 5 |
| 75 | 7.5 |
| 100 | 10 |
| 150 | 15 |
| 200 | 20 |
| 500 | 50 |
| 1,000 | 100 |
How the result is rounded
The converter rounds to four decimal places and drops trailing zeros, so 25 cm shows as 2.5 and not 2.5000. Because the factor is a power of ten, any input with up to three decimals converts exactly. Extremely small inputs, below about 0.0005 cm, round to 0.
Need the reverse or a different step? Use the decimeters to centimeters converter, or go up to meters with the centimeters to meters converter and down to millimeters with the centimeters to millimeters converter.
Frequently asked questions
How do you convert centimeters to decimeters?
Divide the number of centimeters by 10. For example, 45 cm ÷ 10 = 4.5 dm.
Is a decimeter bigger than a centimeter?
Yes. A decimeter is ten times as long as a centimeter, which is why the number of decimeters is always one tenth of the number of centimeters.
How many decimeters are in a meter?
A meter holds 10 decimeters, or 100 centimeters.
How does a decimeter relate to a liter?
A cube with 1 dm edges has a volume of 1 dm³, and 1 dm³ is defined as 1 liter. Convert box dimensions from cm to dm and multiply them to get the capacity in liters.
References
Cite this converter and page
If you use this page in your work, you can cite it as:
Reeliy Editorial Team. (2026). Centimeters to Decimeters Converter. Reeliy. https://reeliy.com/converters/convert-cm-to-dm-centimeters-to-decimeters“Centimeters to Decimeters Converter.” Reeliy, 2026, https://reeliy.com/converters/convert-cm-to-dm-centimeters-to-decimeters.