Human Body

Blood and Circulation

How big are capillaries?

The diameter of a capillary is about 0.0003 inches (0.0076 millimeters), which is just about the same as a single red blood cell. A capillary is only about 0.04 inches (1 millimeter) long. If all the capillaries in a human body were placed end to end, the collective length would be approximately 25,000 miles (46,325 kilometers), which is slightly more than the circumference of the earth at the equator: 24,900 miles (46,139 kilometers).



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