Force Converters
Force is measured in newtons in the SI system, but engineering catalogues, older textbooks and specialist fields still use pounds-force, kiloponds (kilogram-force) and dynes. Converting between them is a routine job for engineers, students and anyone reading a torque, tension or load specification, and the exact definitions matter: a kilopond is defined by standard gravity, 9.80665 m/s².
All force converters
Things to know about force conversions
- A newton is the force needed to accelerate one kilogram by one meter per second squared. A 1 kg mass pushes down with about 9.81 N on Earth.
- Pounds-force (lbf) and kilograms-force (kgf, or kilopond) are defined using standard gravity, so they are forces, not masses.
- Dynes belong to the older CGS system. One newton is 100,000 dynes.
Force conversion chart
Read across: one of the unit in the left column equals the value shown under each unit.
| 1 unit = | N | kN | lbf | kp | dyn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 1 | 0.001 | 0.2248 | 0.102 | 100,000 |
| kN | 1,000 | 1 | 224.8 | 102 | 100,000,000 |
| lbf | 4.448 | 0.004448 | 1 | 0.4536 | 444,822 |
| kp | 9.807 | 0.009807 | 2.205 | 1 | 980,665 |
| dyn | 0.00001 | 1 × 10-8 | 2.248 × 10-6 | 1.02 × 10-6 | 1 |
Force units explained
- Newton (N)
- The newton is the force that gives a one-kilogram mass an acceleration of one meter per second squared. A small apple weighs about one newton.
- Kilonewton (kN)
- A kilonewton is 1,000 newtons and is used for structural loads and anchor ratings.
- Pound-force (lbf)
- A pound-force is the force exerted by gravity on a one-pound mass: about 4.448 newtons.
- Kilopond (kilogram-force) (kp)
- A kilopond is the force of gravity on one kilogram, exactly 9.80665 newtons. It is an older unit still seen in some European specifications.
- Dyne (dyn)
- A dyne is the CGS unit of force, exactly 10 micronewtons. It appears in older physics texts and surface-tension values.