Force Converter
Convert between SI, gravitational, and CGS force units (newton, kilonewton, dyne, kilogram-force, tonne-force, pound-force, ounce-force, short-ton-force) with NIST-grade exact factors anchored to CGPM 1901 standard gravity.
Result
4.44822 N
1 lbf= 4.448222 N
All units
| Unit | Value |
|---|---|
| Newton (N) | 4.44822 |
| Kilonewton (kN) | 0.00444822 |
| Dyne (dyn) | 444,822 |
| Kilogram-force (kgf) | 0.453592 |
| Tonne-force (tnf) | 4.53592E-4 |
| Ounce-force (ozf) | 16 |
| Pound-force (lbf) | 1 |
| Short ton-force (US) (tonf (US)) | 5E-4 |
Force converter: newtons, kgf, lbf, dyne and kN.
What Is a Force Converter?
How to Use the Force Converter
The Force Conversion Formula
- = The force you start from, in the source unit
- = Newtons in one source unit — its factor to the newton (9.80665 for kgf, 4.4482216152605 for lbf, 0.00001 for dyne)
- = Newtons in one target unit — its factor to the newton
- = The converted force, in the target unit
Common Force Conversions
| Conversion | Result | Exact? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 kilogram-force (kgf) | 9.80665 N | exact |
| 1 pound-force (lbf) | 4.44822 N | rounded |
| 1 newton (N) | 0.224809 lbf | rounded |
| 1 newton (N) | 0.101972 kgf | rounded |
| 1 kilonewton (kN) | 1000 N | exact |
| 1 kilonewton (kN) | 224.809 lbf | rounded |
| 1 dyne | 0.00001 N | exact |
| 1 tonne-force | 9806.65 N | exact |
| 1 tonne-force | 9.80665 kN | exact |
| 1 pound-force (lbf) | 0.453592 kgf | rounded |
| 1 ounce-force (ozf) | 0.278014 N | rounded |
| 1 short ton-force | 8896.44 N | rounded |
Worked Force Conversions
Hydraulic ram: 80 kgf in newtons
US fastener: 250 lbf clamp load in newtons
Winch pull: 2000 N in pounds-force and kilograms-force
Crane rating: 100 kN in tonne-force and pounds-force
Small forces and CGS: 16 ozf in newtons and dyne
Common Force Conversion Mistakes
- Reading kilogram-force as kilograms of mass. This is the one that bites hardest. A kilogram (kg) measures how much matter there is; a kilogram-force (kgf) measures the push that matter makes under gravity. They are different quantities that only line up numerically on Earth, where 1 kg of mass weighs 9.80665 N, or 1 kgf. Drop the factor of g = 9.80665 and a force comes out roughly ten times too small, so never hand a value in kgf to a spec that wants newtons without multiplying it through.
- Mixing pound-force with pound-mass. The same trap in imperial dress: pound-force (lbf) is a push, while pound-mass (lb) is an amount of matter. The "50 lb" on a luggage scale is mass; "50 lbf" of clamping load on a fixture is force. They match in number only at Earth's surface, where a 1 lb mass weighs 1 lbf, which is 4.44822 N. In any problem with acceleration, keep force and mass in separate columns.
- Assuming a scale's number is already in newtons. A bathroom or kitchen scale reads force, but it shows a mass label after dividing by a built-in gravity value, so the quantity behind "70 kg" is really 70 kgf. Do not carry that 70 straight into a newton field: 70 kgf is 70 × 9.80665 = about 686 N, not 70 N. The newton and the kilogram-force differ by nearly a factor of ten, and swapping them one-for-one is a common data-entry slip.
- Rounding standard gravity to 9.81. The kilogram-force and tonne-force are tied to g₀ = 9.80665 m/s² exactly, not the classroom 9.81. The gap is small — about 342 parts per million (0.034%) — but on a 500-tonne-force press it is roughly 1,675 N, enough to matter on a calibration certificate. Use the full 9.80665 whenever the result feeds a spec rather than a rough estimate.
- Forgetting how small a dyne is. The dyne is a CGS unit and it is minute — 1 dyne is only 0.00001 N (1 × 10⁻⁵ N), or 10 micronewtons. It turns up in surface-tension figures and older physics texts, so a value that looks big in dynes is tiny in SI: 100,000 dyne is just 1 N. When a result seems off by five orders of magnitude, a stray dyne-to-newton step is usually the reason.
Force Converter — Frequently Asked Questions
How many newtons are in a pound-force?
One pound-force is 4.44822 newtons. It is the weight of a one-pound mass at standard gravity: 0.453592 kg × 9.80665 m/s². Rounded references often print 4.448 N, but 4.44822 keeps enough digits for engineering work.
How many newtons is 1 kgf?
One kilogram-force is exactly 9.80665 newtons, the weight of a one-kilogram mass at standard gravity. To convert any kgf figure, multiply by 9.80665: 10 kgf is 98.07 N and 100 kgf is 980.665 N. The factor never drifts, because g is fixed by definition.
What is the difference between kg and kgf?
A kilogram (kg) is mass, the amount of matter in an object; a kilogram-force (kgf) is the weight that mass has under gravity, equal to 9.80665 N. A 70 kg person has 70 kg of mass anywhere in the universe, but weighs about 70 kgf only on Earth — and roughly 11.6 kgf on the Moon.
Is 1 kgf the same as 1 N?
No. One kilogram-force is 9.80665 newtons, almost ten times larger than a single newton. Both are force units, but a scale reading of 70 kgf is about 686 N, not 70 N.
What is the difference between lbf and lb?
Pound-force (lbf) is a push or pull; pound-mass (lb) is an amount of matter. One lbf is 4.44822 N, and one lb is 0.453592 kg. They match in number only at Earth's surface, where a 1 lb mass weighs 1 lbf. In any calculation involving acceleration, keep the two apart.
How do I convert newtons to pounds of force?
Multiply the newton value by 0.224809, or divide it by 4.44822. So 500 N is about 112.4 lbf and 1000 N is about 224.8 lbf. Reading the other way, 1 lbf is 4.44822 N.
How do I convert kgf to newtons?
Multiply by 9.80665, the exact standard-gravity factor. So 1 kgf is 9.80665 N, 100 kgf is 980.665 N, and a 5-tonne-force press exerts 5 × 9806.65 = 49,033 N. Because g is fixed by definition, this conversion carries no rounding error.
How do I convert tonne-force to kilonewtons?
Multiply tonne-force by 9.80665, since 1 tonne-force is 9806.65 N, or 9.80665 kN. So a 5-tonne-force press is 5 × 9.80665 = 49.03 kN, and a 100-tonne-force machine is 980.67 kN. One tonne-force is exactly 1000 kgf, so it uses the same 9.80665 factor as kilograms-force.
Why is standard gravity fixed at 9.80665 m/s²?
Because it is a convention, not a local measurement. Real gravity varies across the Earth's surface — a little weaker near the equator, a little stronger near the poles — so a single value was set by international agreement to tie kilogram-force and pound-force to the newton. That is why 1 kgf equals exactly 9.80665 N and never drifts.
What is a dyne and how big is it?
A dyne is the CGS unit of force, and it is minute: 1 dyne is 0.00001 N, or 10 micronewtons. It survives mainly in surface-tension measurements and older physics texts. In SI terms, 100,000 dyne make just one newton.
My scale shows 70 kg — how much force is that in newtons?
About 686 newtons. A scale reads force but labels it as mass, so 70 "kg" is really 70 kgf, and 70 × 9.80665 = 686.47 N. When a spec asks for the load in newtons, use that 686 N figure, not the raw 70.
How accurate is this force converter?
The factors are the defined standards: 1 kgf is exactly 9.80665 N, 1 dyne is exactly 0.00001 N, and 1 lbf is 4.44822 N (from 0.453592 kg × 9.80665 m/s²). The SI and gravitational units are fixed by definition, so any tiny differences you notice come from the display precision you pick, not the math.
Is this force converter free?
Yes — no account, no install, and it runs entirely in your browser. Every force unit sits on one page, from newton, kilonewton and dyne to kilogram-force, tonne-force, pound-force, ounce-force and short ton-force, so you can move between an SI datasheet and a US thrust rating in one place.
Can I embed this force converter on my site?
Yes. An ad-free embeddable version is available, so engineering portals, aerospace and physics blogs, hydraulic-equipment catalogs and STEM-teaching pages can drop the converter in without loading third-party trackers.
出典・参考文献
- NIST SP 811 Appendix B.8 — Factors for units listed alphabetically (exact force factors in boldface: pound-force 4.4482216152605 N, kilogram-force 9.80665 N, dyne 1e-5 N, all definitionally exact)
- NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B — Conversion factors (landing page, with the canonical bold-is-exact convention)
- BIPM — Resolution of the 3rd CGPM (1901): declaration that standard gravity g_n = 9.80665 m/s² exact, the upstream constant that makes every gravitational force unit (kgf, tonne-force, lbf, ozf, ton-force) reducible to an exact newton factor
- BIPM — The International System of Units (SI Brochure, 9th edition 2019): the newton (1 N ≡ 1 kg·m/s²) is the SI derived unit of force; the kilogram-force and other gravitational units are not accepted for use with the SI
- Wikipedia — Newton (unit): the SI derived unit of force, 1 N = 1 kg·m/s², adopted at the 9th CGPM in 1948 (Wikidata Q12438)
- Wikipedia — Pound (force): defined as exactly 0.45359237 kg × 9.80665 m/s² = 4.4482216152605 N; covers the lbf vs lbm vs slug distinction (Wikidata Q1194225)
- Wikipedia — Kilogram-force: weight of one kilogram of mass under standard gravity, equal to exactly 9.80665 N; deprecated by BIPM but still common in hydraulic and motor catalogues (Wikidata Q216880)
- Wikipedia — Dyne: the CGS unit of force, equal to exactly 1 × 10⁻⁵ N (10 μN); survives in surface-tension measurements, biomechanics and historical electromagnetism (Wikidata Q201933)
- Wikipedia — Standard gravity: g_n = 9.80665 m/s² is an exact conventional constant fixed by the 3rd CGPM (1901), not a measured value at any specific point on Earth (Wikidata Q13400897)
- Wikipedia — International Yard and Pound Agreement (1 July 1959): defined the avoirdupois pound as exactly 0.45359237 kg, the upstream constant for pound-force, ounce-force and short ton-force