Kg to Lbs Converter
Convert kilograms to pounds and back, with a reference table for body weight, luggage limits and recipes. A pound is exactly 0.45359237 kg.
| Kilograms | Pounds |
|---|---|
| 1 kg | 2.2 lb |
| 2 kg | 4.41 lb |
| 5 kg | 11.02 lb |
| 10 kg | 22.05 lb |
| 20 kg | 44.09 lb |
| 50 kg | 110.23 lb |
| 70 kg | 154.32 lb |
| 80 kg | 176.37 lb |
| 90 kg | 198.42 lb |
| 100 kg | 220.46 lb |
A pound of gold is lighter than a pound of feathers — and an ounce of gold is heavier
Both are true at once, and the riddle is usually told with only the first half. Everyday weights are avoirdupois: the pound this converter uses, sixteen ounces to the pound. Precious metals are weighed in troy, which has twelve.
The two systems share exactly one unit — the grain, 64.79891 milligrams. Every other weight in either system is a whole number of grains, and the entire difference between them is which whole number.
| System | Grains per pound | Per ounce | Pound | Ounce |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avoirdupois | 7,000 (16 oz) | 437.5 | 453.5924 g | 28.3495 g |
| Troy | 5,760 (12 oz) | 480 | 373.2417 g | 31.1035 g |
The troy ounce is heavier by 2.754 g (9.71%), and the troy pound is lighter by 80.4 g (17.71%). Nothing subtle is happening: twelve of a slightly larger thing is less than sixteen of a slightly smaller thing. It is only that the word "pound" and the word "ounce" each mean two things, and they do not both point the same way — which is why the pound gap is the larger of the two.
The 7,000 grains work out to exactly 0.45359237 kg, which is where the conversion factor above comes from. It is a definition, not a measurement — the pound has been defined from the kilogram since 1959.
Which matters in exactly one place
Gold, silver, platinum and palladium are quoted per troy ounce, always. A spot price of $2,000.00 an ounce is $2,000.00 per 31.1 grams, not per 28.35.
| Reading | Implied price | Against spot |
|---|---|---|
| Per troy ounce (correct) | $2,000.00 | — |
| Per everyday ounce | $1,822.92 | $177.08 short (8.85%) |
| Per gram | $64.30 | the figure that cannot be misread |
That is a large error to make by using the right word. For everything else the pound is avoirdupois and there is nothing to think about — groceries, freight, body weight, postage. If nobody has said "troy", nobody meant troy.
Gemstones are the exception within the exception. They are weighed in carats, which is neither system: one carat is exactly 200 mg — five to the gram — fixed by international agreement in 1907, and 3.0865 grains, which is not a whole number of anything.
The same mass, in both pounds
The converter above uses the avoirdupois pound, at 2.204623 to the kilogram. The troy column is what the same mass would read on a bullion scale.
| Mass | Avoirdupois pounds | Troy pounds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 kg | 2.2046 | 2.6792 |
| 5 kg | 11.0231 | 13.3961 |
| 100 kg | 220.4623 | 267.9229 |
More troy pounds, because they are smaller ones. If a figure looks about 22% high for the mass you expected, it is probably troy.
How to use
- Type a value in kilograms or pounds.
- Both boxes stay in step as you type.
- For body weight in stones, use the pounds-to-stones converter.
- Check the table for airline baggage allowances and gym plate weights.
Frequently asked questions
How many pounds is 1 kilogram?
About 2.20462 pounds. The exact relationship runs the other way: since 1959 a pound has been defined as precisely 0.45359237 kilograms, making the pound the derived unit and the kilogram the fundamental one.
What is 70 kg in pounds?
154.3 pounds. For body weight, doubling and adding 10% gets you very close — 70 doubled is 140, plus 14 is 154 — and that shortcut is accurate to within a quarter of a pound for any realistic human weight.
Why do airlines use 23 kg as a bag limit?
Because it is almost exactly 50 pounds (50.7), the older imperial limit, carried over when carriers went metric. The odd-looking number is a rounding of a round number in the other system, which is also why 32 kg limits exist — that is 70 pounds.
Is weight in kilograms actually mass?
Yes, and pounds are ambiguous. A kilogram is a unit of mass; a pound is used both as a mass and, in some engineering contexts, as a force. Your mass is the same on the Moon while your weight is a sixth — which is a pedantic distinction on Earth and a critical one in physics.
What is a metric ton in pounds?
2,204.62 pounds, against 2,000 pounds for a US short ton and 2,240 for a UK long ton. Three different tons differing by up to 10% is a genuine hazard in shipping and freight quotes, so the type of ton is always worth confirming.
How accurate is the 2.2 shortcut?
Good to about 0.2%. Using 2.2 instead of 2.20462 makes an 80 kg person 176 pounds instead of 176.4 — irrelevant for most purposes, but enough to matter if you are stacking a tolerance, like totalling the weight of a hundred boxes.
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