Force Converter

Force Converter

Convert force between newtons, kilonewtons, millinewtons, dynes, kilogram-force, gram-force, pound-force, ounce-force, poundals, kips, and tonne-force. Enter a value in any unit to see it in all the others – useful for engineering drawings, torque and load calculations, physics homework, and product specifications that mix metric and US units.

Force unit definitions

The newton is the SI unit: the force that accelerates 1 kg by 1 m/s². Gravitational units such as kilogram-force and pound-force are defined with standard gravity, g = 9.80665 m/s².

Mass and force are not the same

Scales show kilograms or pounds, but what they actually measure is the force your mass exerts under gravity. That is why "a load of 500 kg" on a crane is really 500 kgf ≈ 4,903 N. If you need to convert the mass itself, use the Weight Converter; for force spread over an area, use the Pressure Converter.

Worked examples

• Rope and strap ratings: a strap rated at 10 kN holds about 1,019.7 kgf, or 2,248 lbf.
• Springs and actuators: a 100 N gas spring pushes with about 22.48 lbf.
• Physics: 1 N equals 100,000 dynes, the CGS unit still found in older textbooks and surface-tension tables (dyn/cm).

Tips

Choose the number of decimals you need, and use the swap button to reverse a conversion without retyping the value. Every row of the table has its own copy button, so pasting "4.4482 N" into a report takes one click.