Milligramme

Milligramme is a unit of mass in the metric system equal to one thousandth of a gram. In modern SI usage the preferred spelling is milligram, with the symbol mg. The spelling milligramme is an older or British English variant; both forms refer to the same quantity and appear in historical or regional texts. It is a derived SI unit: one milligram equals 10^-3 grams, and one gram equals 1000 milligrams. Since the SI base unit is the kilogram (kg), 1 mg equals 1×10^-6 kilograms.

The milligram is used to express small masses in science and everyday applications such as medicine, pharmacology, nutrition, and chemistry. Doses of drugs and quantities of vitamins are frequently stated in milligrams. Measurement is typically done with analytical balances or precise scales capable of resolving milligram-scale masses; for very small masses, instruments can measure in the microgram (µg) range, since 1 mg equals 1000 µg.

Examples of typical uses include dosages reported for pharmaceutical ingredients and dietary supplements, where amounts commonly range from a few milligrams to several hundred milligrams per dose. The unit provides a convenient way to express modestly small masses with clarity and consistency across scientific and regulatory contexts.