What is an em unit in CSS?

An em is a relative CSS unit equal to the font size of the current element or its parent. If the base font size is 16px, then 1em = 16px.

What is a typographic point?

A point (pt) is a unit from print typography. In CSS and modern computing, 1 point = 1/72 of an inch, and 1 inch = 96 CSS pixels, so 1pt ≈ 1.3333px.

What is the formula for em to points?

pt = em × baseFontSizePx × (72 / 96). For example, 1em with a 16px base = 1 × 16 × (72/96) = 12pt.

Why does 1em equal 12pt at 16px base?

1em = 16px (at 16px base). 16px × (72/96) = 12pt. So the standard browser body text of 1em corresponds exactly to 12pt in print.

What base font size should I use?

Most browsers default to 16px. Use 16px unless your CSS sets a different root font size, such as html { font-size: 18px } or html { font-size: 62.5% } (which equals 10px).

How is this different from em to px?

em to px multiplies em by the base font size to get pixels. em to points goes one step further and converts those pixels to print points using the 72/96 ratio.

em to Points Converter

Name: em to Points Converter
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Enter an em value and base font size to get the equivalent typographic point value instantly.

em → Points Converter

Base Font Size (px)

Default browser base is 16px.

Value (em)

Enter an em value above to see the point equivalent.

Common em Sizes

Click a row to load it

Description	em	px	pt (16px base)

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Summary

Enter an em value and base font size to get the equivalent typographic point value instantly.

How it works

Enter a value in the "em" field.
Adjust "Base Font Size" if your CSS root or parent font size differs from 16px.
The point (pt) result updates immediately with the formula shown.
Click any row in the reference table to load that em value.
Click "Clear" to reset all fields.

Use cases

Convert CSS em values to print-ready point sizes for design handoffs.
Match a web type scale to a print document using the same visual size.
Verify point equivalents when bridging web and print stylesheets.
Quickly look up common em sizes like 0.75em, 1em, or 1.5em in points.
Adjust point values when working with a non-16px base font size.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-07-23 · Reviewed by Nham Vu