The sccm unit is a little confusing. It is typically used in meters to allow users to easily derive a corresponding traditional mass flow unit from a measurement that is not native to the meter’s sensing technology. These meters will typically use a native volumetric flow sensor to measure a flow quantity. Then they compensate or “standardize” that measurement to a specific reference condition often referred to as standard temperature and pressure (STP). This standardized flow rate allows a user to easily reference a density for their known gas composition and use it to calculate an equivalent mass flow in the units of their choosing. It’s important to understand that this mass flow must be derived since it isn’t physically measured by a mass flow sensor.
How is the unit of standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm), which sounds like a volumetric unit, actually a mass flow unit?
30 Jul 2025
Author
GNOT5213
