A physical constant, sometimes called a fundamental physical constant or universal constant, is a physical quantity that cannot be explained by a theory and therefore must be measured experimentally. It is distinct from a mathematical constant, which has a fixed numerical value, but does not directly involve any physical measurement.

There are many physical constants in science, some of the most widely recognized being the speed of light in vacuum c, the gravitational constant G, the Planck constant h, the electric constant ε₀, and the elementary charge e. Physical constants can take many dimensional forms: the speed of light has dimension of length divided by time (T^-1L), while the proton-to-electron mass ratio is dimensionless.

The term "fundamental physical constant" is sometimes used to refer to universal-but-dimensioned physical constants such as those mentioned above. Increasingly, however, physicists reserve the expression for the narrower case of dimensionless universal physical constants, such as the fine-structure constant α, which characterizes the strength of the electromagnetic interaction.

Physical constants, as discussed here, should not be confused with empirical constants, which are coefficients or parameters assumed to be constant in a given context without being fundamental. Examples include the characteristic time, characteristic length, or characteristic number (dimensionless) of a given system, or material constants (e.g., Madelung constant, electrical resistivity, and heat capacity) of a particular material or substance.

Physical constants are parameters in a physical theory that cannot be explained by that theory. This may be due to the apparent fundamental nature of the constant or due to limitations in the theory. Consequently, physical constants must be measured experimentally.

The set of parameters considered physical constants change as physical models change and how fundamental they appear can change. For example, ${\displaystyle c}$, the speed of light, was originally considered a property of light, a specific system. The discovery and verification of Maxwell's equations connected the same quantity with an entire system, electromagnetism. When the theory of special relativity emerged, the quantity came to be understood as the basis of causality. The speed of light is so fundamental it now defines the international unit of length.

Whereas the physical quantity indicated by a physical constant does not depend on the unit system used to express the quantity, the numerical values of dimensional physical constants do depend on choice of unit system. The term "physical constant" refers to the physical quantity, and not to the numerical value within any given system of units. For example, the speed of light is defined as having the numerical value of 299792458 when expressed in the SI unit metres per second, and as having the numerical value of 1 when expressed in the natural units Planck length per Planck time. While its numerical value can be defined at will by the choice of units, the speed of light itself is a single physical constant.

Since 2019 revision, all of the units in the International System of Units have been defined in terms of fixed natural phenomena, including three fundamental constants: the speed of light in vacuum, c; the Planck constant, h; and the elementary charge, e.