Force Converter

1. Enter the value you want to convert.
2. Choose the from unit.
3. Choose the to unit.
4. Read the result and the conversion rate.

Here is what each result means:

Force is a push or a pull, anything that can change the motion of an object. The SI unit is the newton, defined as the force that gives a one kilogram mass an acceleration of one metre per second squared. It is a small unit in everyday terms: holding up a small apple takes about one newton.

Several other units exist for historical and practical reasons. The kilogram-force and gram-force express force as the weight of a mass under standard gravity, so one kilogram-force is about 9.807 newtons. The pound-force and ounce-force do the same in imperial units, while the dyne is a tiny metric unit from the older centimetre-gram-second system. The poundal is an imperial unit built the other way, from mass times acceleration.

This converter bridges every unit through the newton. It multiplies your value by the number of newtons in its unit, then divides by the number in the target unit. Because each unit has a fixed value, the conversions are exact and never change.

The gravity-based units, kilogram-force and pound-force, are convenient because they match the weight we feel, but they hide a fixed value of gravity, 9.80665 metres per second squared. The newton keeps force and mass cleanly separate, which is why science and engineering prefer it.

It converts through the newton, the SI unit of force.

1. Your value is multiplied by its unit's value in newtons.
2. That gives the force in newtons, the common base.
3. Dividing by the target unit's value gives the result.

For the physics side, see the force calculator and the pressure converter.

Convert 1 kgf to newtons.

Result: 1 kilogram-force is 9.80665 N, the weight of a one kilogram mass on Earth. That is also about 2.205 pounds-force, since a kilogram-force is heavier than a pound-force.

Every unit has a fixed value in newtons.

The dyne is very small, at one hundred-thousandth of a newton, so forces in dynes give large numbers. The kilonewton and meganewton are used in engineering, where forces from structures and machines run into thousands or millions of newtons.

The gravity-based and absolute units sit at different scales.

Comparing the units this way shows why several survive. Gravity-based units like kilogram-force match the weights we handle daily, while the newton and kilonewton scale cleanly for engineering. The dyne and poundal are now rare, kept mainly in older texts.

The Two Units

The ratio between the from-unit and to-unit sets the result; each has a fixed value in newtons.

Gravity in Weight Units

Kilogram-force and pound-force bake in standard gravity of 9.80665 metres per second squared.

The Size of the Unit

A tiny unit like the dyne gives large numbers, while a big one like the meganewton gives small ones.

Engineering

Move between newtons, kilonewtons and pounds-force for loads and specifications.

Physics Study

Convert a weight in kilograms-force into newtons for a calculation.

Older References

Turn a dyne or poundal figure from an old text into modern newtons.

1. Treating Kgf as a Mass

Kilogram-force is a force, the weight of a kilogram, not the mass itself. It equals about 9.807 newtons.

2. Confusing Lbf and Poundal

Pound-force uses gravity; the poundal is built from mass times acceleration. They are not equal.

3. Slipping the Dyne Factor

A dyne is one hundred-thousandth of a newton, an easy factor to misplace.

4. Wrong Direction

Check which unit is the from and which is the to; swapping them inverts the result.

5. Mixing Force and Mass

Newtons measure force; kilograms measure mass. The link between them is gravity or acceleration.

Conversions use fixed factors relative to the newton.

About 9.807 newtons, the weight of a one kilogram mass under standard gravity. So to convert kilograms-force to newtons, multiply by 9.80665.

Multiply pounds-force by about 4.448. So 10 lbf is about 44.48 newtons. To go the other way, divide newtons by 4.448.

No. A kilogram is a unit of mass. The kilogram-force is the related force unit, the weight of one kilogram, equal to about 9.807 newtons.

A dyne is a small metric force unit equal to one hundred-thousandth of a newton. It comes from the older centimetre-gram-second system.

Pound-force is the weight of a pound mass under gravity, about 4.448 newtons. A poundal is much smaller, about 0.138 newtons, built from mass times acceleration.

About the weight of a small apple, or 100 grams. It is the force that accelerates a one kilogram mass at one metre per second squared.

Engineering. Structural loads, machine forces and vehicle weights are often thousands of newtons, so kilonewtons keep the numbers manageable.

Only the weight-based units. Kilogram-force and pound-force assume standard gravity. The newton itself is independent of gravity.

No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere, unless you choose Save, which keeps the result only on this device.

• Newton (unit) (Wikipedia).
• Kilogram-force (Wikipedia).
• Force (Wikipedia).