REM to Point Converter

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

Multiply by the root font size, then convert to points: 1.5rem × 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: Should print styles keep using rem instead?

They can, and everything will render correctly. The argument for points is convention: print work is specified and proofed in points, so a print stylesheet written that way is easier to check against a proof. The argument against is having two systems in one codebase. Either is defensible — just be consistent.

Q: Does the reader's browser font setting affect the printed page?

Once you have converted to points, no. Points are absolute, so the printout is the same for everyone. That is usually what you want on paper, where there is no reader preference to honour and a designer has sized the layout for a fixed sheet.

Convert rem to points for print styles, based on your root font size.

Value to convert (rem)

rem

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

rem	pt

What It Does

Most modern stylesheets are written in rem, and most print specs are written in points, so this is the conversion that gets run when it is time to add an @media print block. The tool resolves your rem value against the root font size and converts the result to points. Worth knowing before you paste the result: the point value is fixed, so the reader's font-size preference — the whole reason the screen styles use rem — stops applying. On paper that is fine, and it is the expected behaviour.

When to Use It

You are converting a design handed over in rem 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 rem value.
You want to check what a rem 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

1.5rem at a 16px root is 18pt. Common heading size on screen, common heading size on paper.

1

1rem is 12pt at the default root — the base size in both systems agrees.

2.5

2.5rem is 30pt, a page-title size. On paper that is often too large; print scales are usually flatter than screen ones.

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 rem 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. 1rem equals the root element's font size, which the reader can change — the same rem 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 rem to points (pt)?

What root font size should I use?

Should I use px or a relative unit?

Is my data sent anywhere?

Should print styles keep using rem instead?

Does the reader's browser font setting affect the printed page?

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