Understanding force units
Kilogram-force and pound-force use standard gravity of 9.80665 m/s². They measure force, not mass. A mass in kilograms does not convert directly to newtons without a chosen acceleration.
Conversion method
For linear units, multiply the input by its factor to the base unit, then divide by the target factor. The table lists definitions where exact and approximate constants where applicable.
| Unit | 1 unit in base units | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Newton (N) | 1 | Exact definition; display may be rounded |
| Kilonewton (kN) | 1,000 | Exact definition; display may be rounded |
| Dyne (dyn) | 0.00001 | Exact definition; display may be rounded |
| Pound-force (lbf) | 4.4482216153 | Exact definition; display may be rounded |
| Ounce-force (ozf) | 0.278013851 | Exact definition; display may be rounded |
| Kilogram-force (kgf) | 9.80665 | Exact definition; display may be rounded |
| Kip (kip) | 4,448.2216152605 | Exact definition; display may be rounded |
Worked example and common conversions
10 N = 2.248089431 lbf. Keep full precision during conversion, then round the final result to the precision of your measurement.
| From | To |
|---|---|
| 10 N | 2.248089431 lbf |
| 10 lbf | 44.4822161526 N |
| 10 kgf | 98.0665 N |
| 10 kN | 2,248.0894309971 lbf |