stilbs (sb) to nits (nt) conversion

1 sb = 10000 ntnt → sb
Formula
1 sb = 10000 nt

Understanding Stilbs to Nits Conversion

The stilb (sb) is a CGS luminance unit equal to one candela per square centimeter. The nit (nt) is the popular name for the candela per square metre, the SI luminance unit that consumer electronics use to rate screen and display brightness. Converting stilbs to nits is a straightforward area rebasing from cm² to m², a clean factor of 10,000, and is useful when older luminance figures must be compared with modern display specs.

Conversion Formula

1 sb=10000 nt1\ \text{sb} = 10000\ \text{nt}

To convert stilbs to nits, multiply by this factor:

nt=sb×10000\text{nt} = \text{sb} \times 10000

Step-by-Step Example

Convert 25 stilbs to nits.

nt=25×10000=250000 nt\text{nt} = 25 \times 10000 = 250000\ \text{nt}

How to Convert Stilbs to Nits

Rebase a CGS luminance onto the nit scale used for display brightness.

  1. Take the stilb value: For example, 25 sb.
  2. Multiply by 10000: This handles the cm²-to-m² area change to nits.
  3. Compute: 25×10000=25000025 \times 10000 = 250000.
  4. State the result: 25 stilbs equals 250,000 nits.

stilbs to nits conversion table

stilbs (sb)nits (nt)
00
110000
220000
330000
440000
550000
660000
770000
880000
990000
10100000
15150000
20200000
25250000
30300000
40400000
50500000
60600000
70700000
80800000
90900000
1001000000
1501500000
2002000000
2502500000
3003000000
4004000000
5005000000
6006000000
7007000000
8008000000
9009000000
100010000000
200020000000
300030000000
400040000000
500050000000
10000100000000
25000250000000
50000500000000
1000001000000000
2500002500000000
5000005000000000
100000010000000000

What is the stilb?

The stilb is a CGS unit of luminance, describing the brightness of a surface in terms of luminous intensity per unit area. It was widely used in older photometric literature before the SI candela per square metre became standard.

Definition

One stilb is one candela per square centimetre. Since there are ten thousand square centimetres in a square metre, the stilb is a large unit relative to the SI luminance unit.

1 sb=10000 cd/m21\ \text{sb} = 10000\ \text{cd/m}^2

Exactly, 1 sb=1 cd/cm2=104 cd/m2=104 nits1\ \text{sb} = 1\ \text{cd/cm}^2 = 10⁴\ \text{cd/m}^2 = 10⁴\ \text{nits}.

Origin and History

The stilb was introduced by the French physicist André Blondel around 1920, its name taken from the Greek stilbein, "to glitter." It belonged to the centimetre–gram–second system and was used chiefly in continental Europe.

Law and Notable Facts

The stilb is not part of the SI and has largely fallen out of use in favour of the candela per square metre. Because it references the square centimetre, a single stilb represents a very bright surface: the sun's disc at the horizon is on the order of a few hundred stilbs.

Real-World Examples and Conversions

  • A frosted incandescent lamp surface: a few stilbs.
  • The sun's disc viewed from Earth: roughly 160,000 cd/m², or about 16 stilbs.
  • 1 sb=104 cd/m2=104 nits1\ \text{sb} = 10⁴\ \text{cd/m}^2 = 10⁴\ \text{nits}.
  • 1 cd/m2=10−4 sb1\ \text{cd/m}^2 = 10⁻⁴\ \text{sb}.

What is the nit?

The nit is a unit of luminance used to describe the brightness of light emitted from or reflected by a surface, most familiarly the screens of televisions, monitors, and phones. It is numerically identical to the SI unit, the candela per square metre.

Definition

One nit is exactly one candela per square metre, the luminous intensity of one candela spread over one square metre of projected surface area.

1 nt=1 cd/m21\ \text{nt} = 1\ \text{cd/m}^2

The two units are interchangeable: 1 nt=1 cd/m2=1 lm/(m2⋅sr)1\ \text{nt} = 1\ \text{cd/m}^2 = 1\ \text{lm}/(\text{m}^2 \cdot \text{sr}).

Origin and History

The name "nit" derives from the Latin nitere, meaning "to shine," and came into use in the mid-20th century as a convenient shorthand for the candela per square metre. It remains popular in the display and photometry industries.

Law and Notable Facts

The nit is not an official SI unit name but is exactly equal to the SI candela per square metre, so it carries no ambiguity. Display manufacturers routinely quote peak brightness in nits, with high-dynamic-range (HDR) televisions marketed at 1000 nits or more.

Real-World Examples and Conversions

  • Standard SDR television: about 100 nits reference white.
  • Modern OLED and LCD monitors: 250–600 nits.
  • HDR displays: peak highlights of 1000–4000 nits.
  • 1 nt=1 cd/m2=10−4 stilb≈3.14159 apostilbs1\ \text{nt} = 1\ \text{cd/m}^2 = 10⁻⁴\ \text{stilb} \approx 3.14159\ \text{apostilbs}.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many nits equal one stilb?

One stilb equals 10,000 nits, because a square meter holds 10,000 square centimeters.

How do I convert nits back to stilbs?

Multiply the nit value by 0.0001, or divide by 10,000. So 10,000 nits equals 1 sb.

Is a nit the same as a candela per square metre?

Yes. The nit is simply the common name for one candela per square metre, the SI luminance unit.

Why do displays use nits?

Nits give a convenient scale for screen brightness; typical phones peak around 1,000 to 2,000 nits and HDR TVs even higher, so it is the standard spec unit.

What is 0.1 stilb in nits?

Multiply 0.1 by 10,000 to get 1,000 nits.

People also convert

sb to cd/m2sb to asbsb to Lsb to fL

Complete stilbs conversion table

sb
UnitResult
candelas per square metre (cd/m2)10000 cd/m2
nits (nt)10000 nt
apostilbs (asb)31415.93 asb
lamberts (L)3.141593 L
foot-lamberts (fL)2918.635 fL

Luminance conversions