PX to Point Converter

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

Multiply by 72 and divide by 96: 16px × 72 ÷ 96 = 12pt. 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: Does my monitor DPI change this conversion?

No. CSS defines the relationship as a fixed ratio: 96 CSS pixels to the inch, 72 points to the inch. A CSS pixel is a reference unit, not a hardware dot — on a high-density display the browser draws one CSS pixel with several device pixels, but the arithmetic here does not change.

Q: Should I use pt anywhere on screen?

No. Points give you nothing on screen that px does not, and like px they ignore the reader's font-size setting. Keep pt inside @media print, where the audience is a sheet of paper and where printers and print designers genuinely think in points.

Convert pixels to points for print stylesheets — a fixed ratio, with a note on why screen DPI does not enter into it.

Value to convert (px)

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

px	pt

What It Does

Points are a print unit, and CSS pins them to pixels by definition: one inch is 96px and one point is a seventy-second of an inch, so the ratio never changes. That makes this the one conversion in the family that needs no font size at all. It matters when writing a print stylesheet, where designers and printers still think in points, or when translating a Word or InDesign spec into CSS. The tool also flags that a CSS pixel is a fixed reference unit, not a physical dot on your screen.

When to Use It

You are converting a design handed over in pixels (px) 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 px value.
You want to check what a px 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

16

16px is 12pt — the default body size in a browser is the classic 12-point book size.

12

12px is 9pt. Below this, printed text gets hard to read for most people.

24

24px is 18pt, a typical printed heading.

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 pixel value. 2. Read the point equivalent — the ratio is fixed, so no font size is needed. 3. Use the table to convert a whole type scale at once.

Common Mistakes

Assuming points depend on your screen resolution. In CSS they do not: 1pt is always 1.3333px, whatever the device.
Using pt for screen styles. Points are for the print stylesheet; on screen they ignore the reader's font-size preference exactly as px does, with no upside.
Expecting a CSS inch to be a physical inch on screen. It is a reference unit fixed at 96px; only in print does it map to real paper.
Rounding to whole points too early — 13px is 9.75pt, and forcing it to 10pt is a 2.5% shift across a whole scale.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert pixels (px) to points (pt)?

What root font size should I use?

Should I use px or a relative unit?

Is my data sent anywhere?

Does my monitor DPI change this conversion?

Should I use pt anywhere on screen?

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