Luminance Converter
Convert surface luminance between nits, cd/m², footlamberts, lamberts and stilbs.
YOUR CALCULATION
Result
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Calculation steps
Work through one step at a time or reveal the complete calculation. The steps use your current inputs.
How to calculate
Normalize luminous intensity per projected area to candela per square meter with the stated lambert π factor.
1 fL=1/(π×0.3048²) cd/m²; 1 L=10000/π cd/m²; 1 sb=10000 cd/m²
Worked example
100 footlamberts is approximately 342.62591 cd/m², or nits.
Assumptions and input details
A nit is one cd/m². Luminance differs from illuminance in lux and from total luminous flux in lumens. Footlambert and candela per square foot differ by π. No screen peak capability, viewing conditions, reflectance, beam geometry, contrast standard or recommended brightness is inferred.
References: NIST: unit conversion factors
Using this calculator
Can I enter my own problem?
Yes. Replace the example values with your own inputs. The result, calculation steps, tables and applicable diagrams update from those inputs. Blank or invalid values clear the result; example values are never silently substituted for missing inputs.
Are the results exact?
Results use floating-point arithmetic and displayed rounding. Read the formula, assumptions and any stated data precision before interpreting the result.
Is my input uploaded?
The calculation runs in your browser. No account, file upload or external AI service is required. Inputs are not saved between page reloads.
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