Force Converter
Convert force units instantly, from newtons and kilonewtons to dynes, kilogram force, pound force, ounce force, and tonne force. Simple and fast.
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SIMILAR TOOLS
What this converter does
Push, pull, weight, thrust: force is measured in newtons in science and in pound-force or kilogram-force in engineering. This converter moves a value between those and the rest, from the tiny dyne up to the metric ton-force.
How to use it
- Type your force value into the value box.
- Set From to the unit you have, and To to the unit you want.
- Press Calculate.
The result reads back in plain words, like "1 kgf is equal to 9.80665 N." Use Swap to flip the two units, and Reset to clear.
How it works
Every unit is referred to the newton. The tool converts your value to newtons and then back out to the unit you want, using standard factors. Displayed results are rounded to nine significant figures.
Common force conversions
The ones that come up most:
| Conversion | Value |
|---|---|
| 1 newton (N) | about 0.225 lbf |
| 1 pound-force (lbf) | 4.448 N |
| 1 kilogram-force (kgf) | 9.80665 N |
| 1 kilonewton (kN) | 1,000 N (about 224.8 lbf) |
| 1 dyne | 0.00001 N |
Newtons, kilogram-force, and the weight connection
Force and weight are tied together, and a couple of these units make the link directly.
A newton is the SI unit, defined as the force needed to accelerate one kilogram by one metre per second every second. In everyday terms, one newton is roughly the weight of a small apple in your hand, about 100 grams pulled down by gravity.
The kilogram-force makes that connection explicit: one kilogram-force is the weight of one kilogram under normal gravity, which works out to 9.80665 newtons. It is handy when you want to talk about force in terms of familiar masses, and the pound-force does the same job for pounds.
This is also where mass and force part ways. A kilogram is an amount of matter, the same on Earth or the Moon. A kilogram-force is the pull of gravity on that matter, which would be weaker on the Moon. The Weight Converter handles masses like kilograms and pounds, while this tool handles the forces they produce.
Questions people ask
What is a newton?
It is the SI unit of force, the push needed to accelerate a one-kilogram object by one metre per second squared. As a feel for it, one newton is about the weight of a 100-gram apple.
How many newtons are in a kilogram-force?
9.80665 newtons, which is the weight of one kilogram under standard gravity. People often round it to 9.81 N.
How many newtons are in a pound-force?
About 4.448 newtons. Going the other way, one newton is roughly 0.225 pound-force.
What is the difference between mass and force?
Mass is how much matter an object has, measured in kilograms, and it does not change with location. Force, including weight, is the push or pull on that mass, measured in newtons, and weight changes with gravity.
How do I convert newtons to pounds-force?
Multiply by about 0.225. So 100 newtons is roughly 22.5 pound-force.
References
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Office of Weights and Measures. The International System of Units (SI) and the newton. https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/metric-si/si-units
Okan Atalay is a results driven senior operations manager and a graduate of Industrial Engineering from Bilkent University. With over 22 years of experience in textile manufacturing and integrated operations, he has led large scale business process improvements and strategic planning initiatives. Currently, he serves as a top mathematics expert for a global ed tech platform, where he applies his analytical expertise to solve complex mathematical problems. At Eon Tools, he reviews converter and maths tools.