---
title: "How to format a measurement column"
description: "Add a unit symbol such as km to a numeric column. Pick Measurement on the Format tab, then the unit type and unit. The format does not convert units."
sidebar:
  label: "Format a measurement column"
---

Measurement formatting adds a unit symbol to a numeric column when it displays. For example, `1500` with `Kilometres` displays as `1,500 km`. The format does not convert units, so choose the unit that matches the stored values. Click the pencil on the column on the `Format` tab, pick `Measurement`, then set the unit type and display unit; the format adds the symbol only and doesn't convert between units, so pick the unit that matches what your stored values represent — to display data in a different unit (a metres column shown as kilometres), convert the source before import.

**[See it on an example map](https://mangomap-staging.com/examples-staging/maps/o3mzcc3e/attribute-formatting-lab)**

Open the Attribute Formatting Lab. The `Sites — Formatted Attributes` layer is on when the map opens. Click a site. The `Lot size` and `Height` values show with their units.

## Before you start

- The layer must be a vector layer (point, line, or polygon).
- The column must hold numeric values. Measurement formatting works on plain numbers — you pick a unit symbol to label them with at display time.
- Know the unit your stored values are already in. The format doesn't convert — `1500` shown as `Kilometres` reads `1,500 km`, not `1.5 km` — so pick the unit that matches what's in the column.

## Open the Format tab

In the layer panel, select your layer. Click the `Format` tab.

## Open the format drawer

Click the pencil icon next to the column. The `Attribute formatting` drawer opens.

## Pick the Measurement data type

In the `Data Type` dropdown, select `Measurement`. Three controls appear: `Unit Type`, `Unit`, and `Decimals`.

## Pick the unit type

In `Unit Type`, pick:

- `Distance` — for lengths.
- `Area` — for areas.
- `Velocity` — for speeds.

The `Unit` dropdown below populates with the matching options.

## Pick the unit

In `Unit`, pick the display unit:

- **Distance**: `Millimetres`, `Centimetres`, `Metres`, `Kilometres`, `Inches`, `Feet`, `Yards`, `Miles`, `Nautical Miles`.
- **Area**: `Square Millimetres`, `Square Centimetres`, `Square Metres`, `Square Kilometres`, `Square Inches`, `Square Feet`, `Square Yards`, `Square Miles`, `Hectares`, `Acres`.
- **Velocity**: `Millimetres per second`, `Centimetres per second`, `Metres per second`, `Kilometres per hour`, `Feet per second`, `Miles per hour`, `Knots`.

## Pick the decimal count

In `Decimals`, set the number of decimal places. The default is `2`.

The `Preview` at the bottom updates live as you change the controls.

<img src="/_assets/formatting-attributes/format-measurements--drawer.png" alt="Attribute formatting drawer for the Lot size column, with Data Type set to Measurement, Unit Type set to Area, Unit set to m² Square Metres, Decimals set to 0, Preview: 4 m², and the Cancel and Save buttons. The Format tab of the Sites — Formatted Attributes layer shows behind it" width="1600" height="960" />

## Save

Click `Save`. Closing or cancelling the drawer does not save the change. The format applies in the default popup, custom popup templates, data search results, and print/export popups.

## Match the unit to your stored values

The format doesn't convert — it appends the chosen unit's symbol to the stored value as-is. If your column holds metre values, pick `Metres`; if it holds feet, pick `Feet`; if it holds hectares, pick `Hectares`. Picking a mismatched unit produces visibly wrong output: a column of `5280` (feet) labelled as `Kilometres` shows `5,280 km`, not `1.61 km`.

To display the same data in a different unit (a metres column shown as kilometres), convert the source data to that unit before import — there's no in-product conversion step.

## If the dropdown doesn't show your unit

The unit list above is the complete set. If you need a unit that's not on the list, there's no custom unit option. Convert your data to a supported unit before import.

## If your popup still shows the raw number

Check that the row's visibility eye is on, and that the layer's popup mode (in the `Popup` tab) isn't `None`.

## Related

- [Attribute format controls](/docs/formatting-attributes/attribute-format-reference)
- [How attribute formatting works in MangoMap](/docs/formatting-attributes/concepts-attribute-formatting)
- [How to format a number column](/docs/formatting-attributes/format-numbers) — for numeric columns that aren't measurements.

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