AutoCAD Tip: Control displayed dimension units with DIMLFAC

Today’s tip helps you control displayed dimension values without changing your model: master DIMLFAC.

What DIMLFAC does

• DIMLFAC is the dimension linear factor. AutoCAD multiplies the measured distance by this factor before displaying a value.
• It’s stored in the dimension style (or as an override), so it can be applied consistently across drawings.
• Perfect for unit conversion in annotations (e.g., model in mm, label in m) or for legacy content drawn at different units.

Set it fast

• Dimension Style Manager: Modify a style > Primary Units tab > Measurement scale > Scale factor (this is DIMLFAC).
• Command line: type DIMLFAC and enter your factor.
• Add a unit suffix in the same style (Primary Units > Suffix) to show “ m”, “ ft”, etc.

Common, reliable use cases

• Model in millimeters, label in meters
  • Set DIMLFAC = 0.001
  • Suffix = ” m” (or use Fields if you need smarter unit labels)
  • Adjust precision and zero suppression to your standards
• Model in inches, report decimal feet
  • Set DIMLFAC = 1/12 (0.08333333)
  • Suffix = ” ft” (for decimal feet); use Architectural units instead if you want feet–inches
• Legacy or vendor content drawn at x10 or x100
  • Apply the reciprocal as DIMLFAC so annotations read correctly without scaling geometry

Best practices

• Do not stack scales. DIMLFAC converts units for display; it is not for plotting or viewport scale. Keep it at 1.0 unless you are intentionally converting units.
• Dimension size vs. value. Use your dimension style sizes (arrow, text, offsets) or annotative scaling to control how big dimensions look; use DIMLFAC only to convert the numeric value.
• Paper Space through viewports. If you dimension through viewports and see values multiplied by the viewport scale, enable “Scale dimensions to layout” in your dimension style or dimension directly in Model Space with annotative styles.
• Standardize via styles. Create dedicated styles like “DIM_meters_from_mm” so teams don’t guess factors per drawing.
• Audit overrides. If some dimensions don’t update, they may have overrides. Replace with the correct style or remove overrides before applying new standards.

Quick reference values

• mm to m: 0.001
• cm to m: 0.01
• in to ft (decimal feet): 1/12
• m to mm: 1000
• Tip: DIMLFAC = 0 will force dimensions to read 0—avoid.

Related controls to explore next

• DIMALTF for alternate-unit display (dual units)
• DIMPOST (style Suffix/Prefix) for unit labels
• Annotative dimensions for scale-aware presentation

Need help building bulletproof dimension styles for your standards? Talk to the CAD experts at NOVEDGE or explore AutoCAD solutions and add-ons at NOVEDGE.