m²

Abbreviation with 2 meanings

m²
Stands forSquare meter
Meanings2
CategoriesUnits & Measurements, Technology & Computing
Also writtenM.2

m² has two meanings. It stands for Square meter (metric and SI unit) or M.2 (Next Generation Form Factor) (computer hardware).

Meanings of m² at a glance

#m² stands forContext
1Square meterUnits & Measurements › Metric and SI Unit
2M.2 (Next Generation Form Factor)Technology & Computing › Computer Hardware

1. Square meter

Units & Measurements · Metric and SI Unit Abbreviations

The SI unit of area, a square one meter on each side, about 10.76 square feet. Apartment listings, floor plans, flooring, tiles and paint coverage use it outside the United States.

Example: Two-bedroom apartment, 72 m², third floor, south-facing balcony.

Written with a superscript 2; where superscripts are unavailable it appears as m2, sq m or sqm. To convert, multiply by 10.764 for square feet. A hectare is 10,000 m² and an are is 100 m². Paint labels list coverage in square meters per liter, often around 10 to 12 for a single coat.

2. M.2 (Next Generation Form Factor) (M.2)

Technology & Computing · Computer Hardware Abbreviations

Compact connector and card format for internal expansion, used mainly for SSDs and Wi-Fi cards in laptops and desktops. M.2 SSDs can use either the fast NVMe protocol or the older SATA protocol, which look similar but differ greatly in speed.

Example: The laptop has a spare M.2 2280 slot that supports PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives.

Size codes give width and length in millimeters: 2280 means 22 mm by 80 mm, the most common desktop SSD size, while handhelds such as the Steam Deck use 2230. Notches called keys show compatibility: M-key for NVMe SSDs, B+M for many SATA drives and E-key for Wi-Fi cards. M.2 is a form factor, not a speed rating, so the motherboard manual must be checked.

More metric and SI unit abbreviations

  • mmol – Millimole
  • mol – Mole
  • mSv – Millisievert
  • Mt – Megaton (TNT equivalent)
  • m³ – Cubic meter
  • N – Newton
  • ng – Nanogram
  • nm – Nanometer

See all 64 metric and SI unit abbreviations →

More computer hardware abbreviations

  • LBA – Logical block addressing
  • LGA – Land grid array
  • LPDDR – Low-Power Double Data Rate
  • LTO – Linear Tape-Open
  • mATX – Micro-ATX
  • MFP – Multifunction printer
  • microSD – Micro Secure Digital
  • Mini-ITX – Mini-ITX motherboard form factor

See all 151 computer hardware abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.