CSS units·6px
6px =
0.375rem
4.5pt

6 px in rem — 0.375 rem, 4.5 pt

6 px is 0.375 rem and 4.5 pt — 0.0625 inches, 1.588 mm, and 37.5% of the root font size.

rem (root 16 px)
0.375rem
pt (points)
4.5pt
pc (picas)
0.375pc
percent of root
37.5%
inches
0.0625in
millimetres
1.588mm
centimetres
0.1588cm

Why rem divides by 16

Because browsers default the root font size to 16 px, and rem is a multiple of it. When a reader enlarges text in their browser settings, only the parts written in rem grow — anything pinned in px stays put.

Nearby sizes

pxrem (root 16 px)pt (points)
3px0.1875rem2.25pt
4px0.25rem3pt
5px0.3125rem3.75pt
6px0.375rem4.5pt
7px0.4375rem5.25pt
8px0.5rem6pt
9px0.5625rem6.75pt

On screen, pt and inches are still pixels

CSS fixes one inch at 96 px and one point at 1/72 inch. So 16 px is exactly 12 pt — but hold a ruler to the screen and that "inch" will not measure an inch.

Sizes you meet most

Body text at 16, small text at 14, spacing at 8, 24 and 32 — the values that keep coming back.

How to read this

  • rem = px ÷ 16, because browsers default the root font size to 16 px.
  • pt = px × 0.75, since CSS fixes an inch at 96 px and a point at 1/72 inch.
  • One pc is 12 pt, and one inch is both 96 px and 72 pt.
  • Use rem for text and spacing; keep px for hairlines such as borders.

Frequently asked questions

Q. How many rem is 6 px?

0.375 rem — that is 6 divided by 16.

Q. How many points is 6 px?

4.5 pt. A point is 1/72 inch and an inch is 96 px, so you multiply by 0.75.

Q. What length is that?

0.0625 inches, or 1.588 mm — though a ruler on the screen will not agree.

Q. And as a percentage?

37.5% of the root font size.