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Measurement · Grade 5

Unit Conversion Worksheets: Smaller to Larger Units

The measured amount stays the same when the unit changes. A larger unit means fewer units are needed to describe that amount.

4 problemsAnswer key includedFree printableA4 & US Letter
Generate & printSee the worked example

Group smaller units into one larger unit

Use the relationship between the units. There are 100 centimeters in a meter, 1,000 grams in a kilogram, 1,000 milliliters in a liter, and 12 inches in a foot. These conversions stay within one measurement system.

Divide by the number in one group

For 400 centimeters, make groups of 100 centimeters. There are four groups, so 400 cm = 4 m. The length has not become shorter; the number is smaller because a meter is a larger unit.

Use the same reasoning for mass and capacity. To convert grams to kilograms or milliliters to liters, divide by 1,000. To convert inches to feet, divide by 12.

Check the direction: ask whether the new unit is larger or smaller. In these questions the new unit is larger. Multiplying would give more units and does not fit that direction.

Keep the units with the numbers

Write the starting amount and unit, the division, and the final unit. Distinguish m from cm and L from mL. Feet and inches use a factor of 12, so removing zeros is not a general conversion method.

Check by reversing the conversion

Multiply the answer by the conversion factor. Four meters times 100 centimeters per meter gives the original 400 centimeters. This checks both the amount and the direction.

What is in this set?

Each set has one question for each of the four unit pairs. The original problems have whole-number answers from 2 to 9. They do not include decimal answers such as 5 cm = 0.05 m, mixed units, or multi-step stories.

This is selected unit-conversion practice for Grade 5. Fraction measurement graphs and multi-step measurement problems remain separate activities to add later.

Make a practice set

Choose what to print. Selecting both shows the answer key on screen and prints the questions followed by the answers.

Print materials

After the practice

Reverse one answer to recover the starting amount. Explain why the number changes while the measured quantity stays the same.

More about measurement · Grade 5 worksheets

Grade 5 selected skill connection: 5.MD.A.1. See the Common Core grade guidance. This worksheet does not cover every requirement in the standard.