Convert centimeters to typographic points

One centimeter is 28.35 points. A point is 1/72 inch and an inch is 2.54 cm, so a centimeter holds 72 ÷ 2.54 points.[1]

The formula is points = centimeters × 72 ÷ 2.54. For 2 cm that gives 2 × 72 ÷ 2.54 = 56.69 pt, and 2.54 cm gives exactly 72 pt.

Word takes font sizes from 1 to 1,638 in steps of half a point.[2] A result of 56.69 pt becomes 56.5 or 57, and the two differ by less than 0.02 cm. To go the other way, use the points to centimeters converter.

The number in the font size box describes the box a font draws each character in, including the space above and below it, not the height of the letter.[3] Convert 5 cm to 141.73 pt, set that size, and the capitals will come out shorter than 5 cm.

How much shorter is written into the font file's metrics table.[4] We read those values from the fonts that come with Windows 11: capitals take up 71.6% of the size in Arial, 72.7% in Verdana, 66.2% in Times New Roman and 63.2% in Calibri. For Arial capitals 5 cm tall you need a 198 pt font, and in Calibri as much as 224.5 pt.

The plain conversion is what you want when you know the size of a text box, a gap or the line spacing. When you know the letter height, use the table for your typeface. A measurement in inches can be turned into centimeters first with the inches to cm converter, and one in millimeters with the mm to cm converter. When the letters are only a few millimeters tall, the mm to pt converter works out the size.

Each Microsoft 365 app has its own font size range. Word accepts 1 to 1,638 points in half-point steps, PowerPoint 1 to 3,600 in steps of a tenth, and Excel 1 to 409 in half-point steps.[2]

In centimeters, an Arial capital in Word tops out at about 41 cm. If you need bigger lettering, lay it out in PowerPoint, where the same capital can be over 90 cm tall.

The Point type selector below the fields decides which points the result is given in. PostScript (DTP) is selected by default and matches Word, Adobe apps and CSS.

Choose Printer's (TeX) when the measurement is going into a LaTeX document. There the unit pt is 1/72.27 inch, so 1 cm is 28.45 points rather than 28.35.[3]

Didot uses the point of traditional continental European typesetting. It is only useful when you are recreating a size from old German, French or Eastern European print documentation.