1 picolitre
1 pLVolume · definition
The quantity is exact as entered. Comparisons use the clearly stated specimen, model or nominal measurement.
Volume & capacity
Just how much is 1 picolitre?
Microscopic
1 pL
1 picolitre
The quantity is exact as entered.
1 pLVolume
Too small to see at this scale. The ring marks its true-scale position, not its volume. The shape has not been enlarged.
Too small to see at this scale. The ring marks its true-scale position, not its volume. The shape has not been enlarged.
These are equal-volume cubes. Edge lengths grow with the cube root of capacity; the cubes do not depict container exteriors.
A little perspective
The capacity of a 0.05 ml drop is about 50,000,000 times 1 picolitre.
Measurements, assumptions & sources +
1 picolitre
Volume: 1 pL; definition.
The quantity is exact as entered. Comparisons use the clearly stated specimen, model or nominal measurement.
0.05 ml drop
Volume: 50 µL; example.
Defined 0.05 ml capacity. Actual containers, servings and fills vary. Outer shape is not used to calculate capacity.
Defined examples — our methodology
The marked volume is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.
Measurement details
Why these numbers?
Compare 1 picolitre with the volume of a 0.05 ml drop. The notes below explain how each value was chosen.
0.05 ml drop
50 µLVolume · example
Defined 0.05 ml capacity. Actual containers, servings and fills vary. Outer shape is not used to calculate capacity.
- Comparing
- Volume ↔ Volume
- Relative size
- The capacity of a 0.05 ml drop is about 50,000,000 times 1 picolitre.
How to read the visual
The diagram uses the recorded measurements. Details outside the marked spans do not set the scale.
- The volume of a 0.05 ml drop: This is an illustrative comparison value, not a claim that every example is the same.
Volume measures three-dimensional space; a container’s capacity is not its outside dimensions.
1 × 10⁻¹² Llitres
1 × 10⁻¹⁵ m³cubic metres
2.6417 × 10⁻¹³ US galUS gallons
2.1997 × 10⁻¹³ UK galUK gallons
Change your perspective
Put it next to…
Choose a suggestion to redraw the comparison, or open its page to learn what it is.
A little smaller. A little larger.