Common converters
Force Converter
Convert newtons, pound-force, kilogram-force, dynes and more.
Result
0.224809 lbf
1 N = 0.224809 lbf
All units for this value
| Unit | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Micronewton | µN | 1000000 |
| Millinewton | mN | 1000 |
| Newton | N | 1 |
| Kilonewton | kN | 0.001 |
| Meganewton | MN | 0.000001 |
| Dyne | dyn | 100000 |
| Gram-force | gf | 101.972 |
| Kilogram-force | kgf | 0.101972 |
| Tonne-force (metric) | tf | 0.000101972 |
| Ounce-force | ozf | 3.59694 |
| Pound-force | lbf | 0.224809 |
| Kip (1000 lbf) | kip | 0.000224809 |
| Poundal | pdl | 7.23301 |
About this calculator
This tool converts force values between newtons, kilonewtons, dynes, kilograms-force, pounds-force, ounces-force, kips, and poundals. Choose the unit you're starting from and the unit you want, enter a number, and the converted value displays right away.
How it works in plain English
Force describes a push or pull, and different measurement traditions have produced several units for expressing it. The newton is the standard scientific unit, dynes appear in older scientific literature, kilograms-force and pounds-force relate force to the weight of a given mass under standard gravity, kips are used in structural engineering for large loads, and poundals come from an older, less common system. Even though these units come from different traditions, they all describe the same physical quantity, so each one converts to the newton, the SI base unit, using a fixed numeric factor.
To use the converter, select the unit your value is currently in as the "from" unit, choose the unit you'd like as the "to" unit, and type your number into the field. The converted result updates live as you type, with no separate button to press. A swap control lets you instantly flip the direction if you selected the units in reverse. Underneath the main result, an all-units table shows your entered value already converted into every other supported force unit at the same time, which is helpful when checking a structural load specification given in kips against an equivalent figure in newtons or pounds-force. You can also adjust the displayed precision for more or fewer decimal places depending on how exact you need the answer to be.
The formula
- 1 kgf = 9.80665 N
- 1 lbf = 4.4482216152605 N
- 1 dyne = 1 × 10⁻⁵ N
- 1 kip = 4,448.22162 N
- 1 poundal = 0.138254954376 N
Worked example
Suppose a structural drawing specifies a load of 5 kips and you need that value in kilonewtons for a metric calculation. One kip equals 4,448.22162 newtons, so 5 kips equal 22,241.1081 newtons, which is 22.2411081 kilonewtons.
Using the converter, you would set "from" to kip and "to" to kilonewtons, then type 5. The live result shows about 22.24 kN immediately. The all-units table also shows the same load expressed as roughly 2,268.15 kgf and about 5,000 lbf exactly, giving you several equivalent figures at once for comparing against different specification formats.
Force unit equivalents relative to the newton
| Unit | Symbol | In newtons (N) |
|---|---|---|
| Newton | N | 1 |
| Kilonewton | kN | 1,000 |
| Dyne | dyn | 0.00001 |
| Kilogram-force | kgf | 9.80665 |
| Pound-force | lbf | 4.4482216152605 |
| Ounce-force | ozf | 0.278013850953 |
| Kip | kip | 4,448.22162 |
| Poundal | pdl | 0.138254954376 |
Values are the standard internationally defined equivalents.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between kilogram-force and a kilogram?
A kilogram measures mass, the amount of matter in an object, while kilogram-force measures a force, specifically the weight of a one-kilogram mass under standard Earth gravity. They're related but not interchangeable: mass stays the same everywhere, while the force of gravity on that mass, and therefore its kilogram-force weight, would change on the Moon or in orbit.
What is a kip, and why is it used in engineering?
A kip stands for "kilopound" and equals exactly 1,000 pounds-force. Structural and civil engineers use it because building loads, beam capacities, and similar values are often naturally in the thousands of pounds, so expressing them in kips keeps the numbers smaller and easier to work with on drawings and calculations.
Why does the dyne use such small numbers compared to the newton?
The dyne comes from an older measurement system built around centimeters, grams, and seconds, rather than the meters, kilograms, and seconds used for the newton. Because a dyne is defined using much smaller base units of mass and length, it ends up being a much smaller unit of force, with one newton equal to 100,000 dynes.
Is pound-force the same as pound of mass?
No, though they share a name and can cause confusion. A pound of mass describes an amount of matter, while pound-force describes the weight that a certain mass exerts under standard gravity. This converter deals specifically with pound-force, the unit of force, not the pound unit used for measuring mass or weight in everyday shopping contexts.
What is a poundal and is it still commonly used?
A poundal is a unit of force from an older system that defines force directly from mass and acceleration without referencing gravity, unlike pound-force. It's rarely encountered today outside of some historical physics and engineering texts, but this converter supports it in case you come across it in older reference material or textbooks.
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