Force Converter
Convert newtons, kilonewtons, pound-force, kilogram-force, and dynes.
What is Force?
Force is measured in newtons, the force that accelerates one kilogram at one metre per second squared. The imperial and older metric units are gravitational: one pound-force and one kilogram-force are the weight of that mass under standard gravity, which is why they are not mass units.
How it works
Every unit is a fixed factor to the newton. The exact conversions are used — 1 lbf = 4.4482216152605 N from the defined inch and standard gravity, 1 kgf = 9.80665 N, 1 dyne = 10⁻⁵ N — so a chain of conversions does not drift.
- Enter your input. Type or paste your input into the field above — the tool responds instantly.
- Review the result. Output updates live as you type. Everything runs entirely in your browser.
- Copy or download. Use the Copy button to grab the result, or Download to save it as a file.
Examples
Metric to imperial
Enter 100 N and read 22.4809 lbf, or flip the direction to size a metric value from an imperial rating.
Common mistakes
Pounds is a mass, pound-force is a force
Converting 10 lb to newtons is not valid without gravity: 10 lbf is 44.48 N, while a 10 lb mass weighs 44.48 N only on Earth. Use the converter's lbf, kgf and gf units for force.
Treating kgf as 10 N
A kilogram-force is 9.80665 N, not 10 N. The 2% error is small for a rough estimate but wrong for anything that is checked.
Frequently asked questions
What is a dyne?
The CGS force unit: the force that accelerates one gram at one centimetre per second squared, equal to 10⁻⁵ N. It survives in older textbooks and surface-tension data.
Is pound-force the same as pound?
No. The pound (lb) is a mass; the pound-force (lbf) is the weight of that mass under standard gravity, 4.4482216152605 N.