Magnetic Field Converter – Tesla, Gauss, Oersted and More
Magnetic fields are described by two distinct but related quantities: magnetic flux density (B) and magnetic field intensity (H). This converter handles all major units for both groups — from Tesla and Gauss used by physicists and MRI engineers, to Nanotesla used in geophysics, to Oersted and Ampere per meter used in electromagnetics. Enter a value, choose your units, and the result — plus an all-units reference table — appears instantly.
B-Field vs H-Field: Why Two Systems?
The B-field (magnetic flux density) is what you measure with a Hall-effect sensor or a gaussmeter. It includes contributions from both free currents and the magnetisation of any material present. Its SI unit is the Tesla (T), and its CGS counterpart is the Gauss (G) — where 1 T = 10,000 G.
The H-field (magnetic field intensity) represents only the contribution of free currents, independent of the medium. Its SI unit is Ampere per meter (A/m), and its CGS equivalent is the Oersted (Oe) — where 1 Oe ≈ 79.58 A/m.
B and H are related through the equation B = µH, where µ is the magnetic permeability of the medium. In free space, µ₀ = 4π × 10⁻⁷ T·m/A. Inside ferromagnetic materials, µ can be thousands of times higher. Because µ varies by material, this tool does not convert between B-field and H-field units — doing so would silently give a wrong answer. Instead, it shows a clear explanation if you attempt such a conversion.
Supported Units
B-field (flux density) units: Tesla (T), Millitesla (mT), Microtesla (µT), Nanotesla (nT), Gauss (G), Milligauss (mG), Weber per square meter (Wb/m²), Maxwell per square centimeter (Mx/cm²), and Gamma (γ). All conversions in this group normalise through Tesla as the base unit.
H-field (intensity) units: Ampere per meter (A/m), Kiloampere per meter (kA/m), and Oersted (Oe). Conversions normalise through A/m.
Conversion Factors at a Glance
Key B-field relationships anchored to 1 Tesla:
1 T = 1,000 mT = 1,000,000 µT = 1,000,000,000 nT1 T = 10,000 G = 10,000,000 mG1 T = 1 Wb/m² = 10,000 Mx/cm²1 T = 1,000,000,000 γ (gamma)
Key H-field relationships anchored to 1 Oersted:
1 Oe = 1,000 / (4π) A/m ≈ 79.5775 A/m1 kA/m = 1,000 A/m ≈ 12.566 Oe
Real-World Magnetic Field Reference
Understanding where your value falls on the real-world scale helps put conversions in context:
- Earth's magnetic field: approximately 25–65 µT (25,000–65,000 nT), depending on location.
- Refrigerator magnet: roughly 1–10 mT on the surface.
- Neodymium (NdFeB) magnet: surface field around 0.5–1.5 T.
- Clinical MRI scanner: 1.5 T (1,500 mT) or 3 T (30,000 G) field strength.
- Research electromagnets: 10–20 T, and pulse magnets can exceed 45 T.
- Neutron star surface: 10⁸ T or more — extraordinary fields in astrophysics.
Who Uses This Converter?
Physicists and electrical engineers routinely need to move between SI and CGS unit systems when reading legacy literature or comparing results across labs. MRI technicians work in Tesla and Millitesla for field-strength specifications, while geophysicists report survey results in Nanotesla or Gamma. EMC specialists measure interference fields in Microtesla and Milligauss. Materials scientists specify hard-magnetic coercivity in Oersted or kA/m. This tool covers all these communities in a single interface.
Precision and Scientific Notation
Magnetic field values span an enormous dynamic range — from the sub-nanotesla fields detected by SQUID magnetometers to the megatesla fields of neutron stars. The converter handles this by automatically switching to scientific notation for values smaller than 10⁻⁶ or larger than 10¹². The precision slider (0–10 decimal places) gives you control over how many digits are shown in the output without affecting the underlying calculation accuracy.
Using the All-Units Table
The output panel shows an all-units reference table listing your input value converted into every supported unit in the same group simultaneously. This is useful when you need to quote a value across multiple standards in a report, or when you want to cross-check a number against an unfamiliar unit. The row corresponding to your selected output unit is highlighted for quick reading. You can copy the entire table to the clipboard with the Copy Result button.