EM to Point Converter

Q: How do I convert em to points (pt)?

Multiply by the parent font size, then convert to points: 1.5em × 16px = 24px = 18pt. The tool does this for you and lets you change the reference size, because that reference is what makes the answer different from one project to the next.

Q: What root font size should I use?

Browsers default to 16px, so 16 is the right starting point unless your stylesheet sets a different size on the html element. If your CSS sets `html { font-size: 62.5% }` — a common trick to make 1rem equal 10px — set the root size to 10 here instead.

Q: Should I use px or a relative unit?

Use relative units (rem, em) for anything that should scale with the reader's font-size preference: type, spacing, and container widths. Pixels are fine for things that genuinely should not scale, such as hairline borders and some shadow offsets. The accessibility rule of thumb is that a user who sets a larger default font size in their browser should see your layout grow with it.

Q: Is my data sent anywhere?

No. The conversion is arithmetic done in your browser — nothing is uploaded, and the page works offline once loaded.

Q: Why does the parent font size matter here?

Because em has no size of its own. It is a multiplier of whatever the parent element is set to, so 1.5em is 18pt against a 16px parent and 13.5pt against a 12px one. Points, by contrast, are fixed. Crossing from one system to the other always requires you to state the size the em resolves against.

Q: Should my print stylesheet use pt or keep the em values?

Points are the conventional choice for print and translate directly to what a printer expects. Keeping em also works and preserves your existing relationships, but any reader font-size preference is irrelevant on paper, so the flexibility buys you nothing there. Most teams convert to pt inside @media print and leave the screen styles alone.

Convert em to points for print styles, given the font size the em is measured against.

Value to convert (em)

Result (pt)

Root / parent font size

Browsers default to 16px. Use 10 if your CSS sets html { font-size: 62.5% }.

About this conversion

The same value at other root sizes

Root size	Result

Common conversions at 16 px

em	pt

What It Does

This conversion crosses the line between the relative world and the absolute one, which is exactly why it is worth a page of its own. An em has no fixed size until you say what it is measured against; a point is fixed by definition. The tool takes the font size you supply, resolves the em to pixels, and converts that to points — the calculation you need when writing a print stylesheet for a site whose screen styles are all relative. It also warns you that the resulting point value is frozen and no longer follows the reader.

When to Use It

You are converting a design handed over in em into a stylesheet that uses points (pt) for accessibility.
You inherited a codebase that mixes units and you need the pt equivalent of an existing em value.
You want to check what a em value becomes when the user changes their browser's default font size.
You are writing a design-token scale and need the same step expressed in both units.

Worked Examples

1.5

At a 16px parent, 1.5em is 18pt — a standard printed subheading.

1

1em at a 16px parent is 12pt, the classic body size for paper.

0.75

0.75em is 9pt at a 16px parent. On paper that is footnote territory.

Features

Instant two-way conversion

Configurable root/parent font size

Full conversion table for common root sizes

Fractional-pixel rounding warning

Copy the value or the whole table

Works offline in your browser

No uploads or tracking

How to Use

1. Enter the em value you want to convert. 2. Set the root (or parent) font size the value should be measured against — 16px is the browser default. 3. Read the points (pt) result, or copy the whole conversion table for the sizes you use.

Common Mistakes

Assuming the conversion is fixed. 1em equals the parent element's font size, so its point value moves with that size — the same em value converts differently depending on that size.
Confusing em with rem. `em` is relative to the *parent* element's font size and therefore compounds when nested; `rem` is always relative to the root element and does not.
Setting a px font size on the root element. That overrides the user's browser font-size preference, which defeats the accessibility reason for using relative units at all.
Rounding too early. Keep the fraction (1.375rem, not 1.4rem) — the browser resolves sub-pixel values fine and the rounding error compounds across a scale.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert em to points (pt)?

What root font size should I use?

Should I use px or a relative unit?

Is my data sent anywhere?

Why does the parent font size matter here?

Should my print stylesheet use pt or keep the em values?

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The conversion runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is stored.