Traces become centre lines, and the width is kept on the layer
A Gerber trace is a filled area: a D01 stroke with a round or rectangular aperture of a stated size. A drawing holds lines, not areas, so CADverter writes each stroke as its centre line and records the aperture width on the layer, where a CAD tool can apply it as a line weight or an offset. That is the honest translation; inflating every trace into an outline polygon would quadruple the entity count and make the DXF useless for editing.
Pads, flashes and regions become outlines
Aperture flashes (D03) — the pads — are written as the outline of the aperture at that position: circles for round apertures, closed polylines for rectangles and obrounds. Region fills between G36 and G37 become closed contours. Arcs drawn in circular interpolation mode (G02/G03, including the quadrant-mode centre offsets) are kept as true arcs, not chopped into segments.
Units from the MO command
RS-274X states its unit with %MOMM*% or %MOIN*%, and the format specification %FS gives the coordinate scaling. Both are honoured, so a board drawn in inches and one drawn in millimetres both arrive in the DXF at true size, in millimetres, with $INSUNITS set. A file with no MO falls back to Gerber’s own default of inches.
Which files, and what to convert them for
One Gerber file is one layer, so convert the layer you need: the board outline (often .gko or .gm1, or an Edge.Cuts export saved as .gbr) for an enclosure or mounting plate; top copper (.gtl) for a mechanical model with component footprints; solder paste (.gtp) for a stencil cut on a laser or vinyl cutter; silkscreen (.gto) for a panel legend. Recognised extensions are .gbr, .ger, .gtl, .gbl, .gts, .gbs, .gto and .gbo; rename an unusual one to .gbr. Drop several layers together and get a ZIP with a DXF per layer.
Read only: why there is no DXF to Gerber
Writing Gerber from a generic drawing would mean inventing an aperture table — deciding which line is which trace width and which closed shape is a pad — that no one asked for and that a board house would then trust. CADverter reads Gerber and does not write it. For the reverse trip, use your PCB tool’s DXF import.
SVG and PDF from the same file
The same drawing model writes SVG with true arcs and layers as groups, PDF and EPS at true scale, and HP-GL. For a mechanical model, write DXF, open it in CAD, and extrude the board outline; or press Make 3D here to extrude the outline directly into a STEP or STL of the bare board.
Board files never leave the machine
The Gerber parser and every 2D writer are JavaScript in this page; no engine and no request is involved. Open the Network panel while converting to see nothing but the page’s own assets. The production build is tested to make zero external requests across an open, convert and download.
Gerber to DXF questions
Can I get the board outline as a solid for an enclosure?
Yes. Convert the outline layer to DXF for your CAD tool, or press Make 3D here and extrude it to board thickness, then download STEP or STL.
Why are my traces single lines?
Because a drawing holds lines and Gerber holds filled strokes. The trace width is recorded on the layer; apply it as a line weight or offset in CAD if you need the copper as areas.
Does it read drill files?
Not yet — Excellon drill files (.drl, .xln) are a different format. Most PCB tools can also export the drill layer as Gerber, which does convert.
Can I convert all the layers of a board at once?
Yes. Drop them together, choose DXF, and download a ZIP with one DXF per layer, each named after its file.