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Convert Pounds-force to Kilograms-force

1 pound-force is 0.453592 kgf. One pound-force is exactly 0.45359237 kilograms-force.

One pound-force is 0.45359237 kilograms-force. To convert pounds-force to kilograms-force, multiply by 0.45359237; to go the other way, divide by 0.45359237 or multiply by 2.2046226. The factor is exact rather than rounded: it follows from NIST Special Publication 811. The weight of one pound under standard gravity, exactly 4.4482216152605 newtons.

Factor checked against the defining standard · How we check

Kilograms-force
0.453592 kgf
Pounds-force × 0.45359237
value * 0.453592370.454 kgf

1 pound-force in every force unit

UnitValueExact factor
newtons4.448221615 N× 4.44822161526
kilonewtons0.004448221615 kN× 0.00444822161526
pounds-force (as entered)1 lbf
kilograms-force0.45359237 kgf× 0.45359237
ounces-force16 ozf× 16
dynes444,822.1615 dyn× 444,822.161526

Factors are entered by hand from NIST Special Publication 811 rather than derived from a units library, so the ones that terminate are exact rather than rounded.

How do you convert pounds-force to kilograms-force?

  1. 1.Take the measurement in pounds-force.
  2. 2.Multiply by 0.45359237 — that is how many kilograms-force fit in one pound-force.
  3. 3.To go back the other way, divide by 0.45359237, or multiply by 2.2046226.

Worked example: 25 pounds-force to kilograms-force

Formula
lbf × 0.45359237 = kgf
Arithmetic
25 × 0.45359237 = 11.339809 kgf
Answer
25 lbf = 11.339809 kgf

The factor is exact, so this figure is exact too — only the display is rounded.

Pounds-force to kilograms-force conversion table

Pounds-forceKilograms-force
1 lbf0.453592 kgf
2 lbf0.907185 kgf
3 lbf1.360777 kgf
4 lbf1.814369 kgf
5 lbf2.267962 kgf
6 lbf2.721554 kgf
7 lbf3.175147 kgf
8 lbf3.628739 kgf
9 lbf4.082331 kgf
10 lbf4.535924 kgf
12 lbf5.443108 kgf
15 lbf6.803886 kgf
20 lbf9.071847 kgf
25 lbf11.339809 kgf
50 lbf22.679619 kgf
100 lbf45.359237 kgf
200 lbf90.718474 kgf
300 lbf136.077711 kgf
500 lbf226.796185 kgf
1000 lbf453.59237 kgf
2000 lbf907.18474 kgf
5000 lbf2,267.96185 kgf
10000 lbf4,535.9237 kgf

What is a pound-force?

The weight of one pound under standard gravity, exactly 4.4482216152605 newtons. A pound of mass and a pound-force are different quantities that share a name, which is why this unit exists at all.

What is a kilogram-force?

The weight of one kilogram under standard gravity, exactly 9.80665 newtons by the defined value of that gravity. Older European engineering drawings are full of it.

How many kilograms-force are in a pound-force?

One pound-force is 0.45359237 kilograms-force, exactly. Going the other way, one kilogram-force is 2.2046226 pounds-force. Both figures come from the same defined relation rather than from a measurement, which is why they are the same today as they were in 1959.

Every force unit here

UnitSymbolOne of these is
NewtonsNthe base unit
KilonewtonskN1000 newton
Pounds-forcelbf4.4482216 newton
Kilograms-forcekgf9.80665 newton
Ounces-forceozf0.27801385 newton
Dynesdyn1.0000 × 10^-5 newton

Source: NIST Special Publication 811 — pound-force is exactly 4.4482216152605 N

Questions people actually ask

How many kilograms-force are in a pound-force?
0.45359237. The weight of one kilogram under standard gravity, exactly 9.80665 newtons by the defined value of that gravity. Older European engineering drawings are full of it.
How do I convert kilograms-force back to pounds-force?
Divide by 0.45359237, or multiply by 2.2046226 — they are the same operation.

Other force conversions

Kilograms-force to pounds-force — the same conversion the other way.