- Distances shorter than 10 nm
- 20 nm -- thickness of bacterial flagellum
- 40 nm -- extreme ultraviolet wavelength
- 90 nm -- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (generally, viruses range in size from 20 nm to 450 nm)
- 100 nm -- 90% of the particles of wood smoke are smaller than 100 nm
- Distances longer than 100 nm