All things · The Edge of Sight
Grain of sand: how big is it?
Grain of sand is about 600 µm. In everyday terms, that is ≈ 8.6 human hairs (width).
- Size
- 600 µm
- In metres
- 6.00 × 10⁻⁴ m
- Everyday comparison
- ≈ 8.6 human hairs (width)
- Chapter
- The Edge of Sight
Did you know?
Sand is defined by size: anything from 0.0625 to 2 millimetres across.
How it compares
- About 1.3× bigger than Tardigrade (450 µm).
- About 2.5× smaller than Mustard seed (1.5 mm).
Other things of a similar size
- Human egg cell 120 µm
- Paramecium 220 µm
- Dust mite 250 µm
- Tardigrade 450 µm
- Mustard seed 1.5 mm
- Flea 2.5 mm
Sizes are rounded, typical values drawn from standard reference sources, including NIST/CODATA physical constants and NASA's planetary fact sheets. Real objects vary; see About for how sizes are chosen.