--- title: Lambda (unit) slug: lambda-unit qid: snapshot: enwiki-001347832018 content_hash: license: CC BY-SA 4.0 source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1347832018 tags: [112841096, 23118434, 23130511, 23468805, 23603337, 26880796, 30205109, 30789513] --- # Lambda (unit) > [!note] Provenance > Snapshot `enwiki-001347832018` · content root `…` > Derived from · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 Lambda (written λ, in lowercase) is a non-SI unit of volume equal to 10 −9 m 3 , 1 cubic millimetre (mm 3 ) or 1 microlitre (μL). Introduced by the BIPM in 1880, the lambda has been used in chemistry and in law for measuring volume, but its use is not recommended. This use of λ parallels the pre-SI use of μ on its own for a micrometre and γ for a microgram. Although the use of λ is deprecated, some clinical laboratories continue to use it. The standard abbreviation μL for a microlitre has the disadvantage that it can be misread as mL (a unit 1000 times larger). In pharmaceutical use, no abbreviation for a microlitre is considered safe. The recommended practice is to write "microlitre" in full. Lambda (written λ, in lowercase) is a non-SI unit of volume equal to 10 −9  m 3 , 1 cubic millimetre (mm 3 ) or 1 microlitre (μL). Introduced by the BIPM in 1880, the lambda has been used in chemistry and in law for measuring volume, but its use is not recommended. This use of λ parallels the pre-SI use of μ on its own for a micrometre and γ for a microgram. Although the use of λ is deprecated, some clinical laboratories continue to use it. The standard abbreviation μL for a microlitre has the disadvantage that it can be misread as mL (a unit 1000 times larger). In pharmaceutical use, no abbreviation for a microlitre is considered safe. The recommended practice is to write "microlitre" in full. ==References==