Convert force between newtons, kilonewtons, pound-force and kilogram-force.
Calculations happen locally. We do not send your values to our server.
1 kgf is exactly 9.80665 N and 1 lbf is about 4.44822162 N, so 100 N is about 22.48089431 lbf. In engineering units, 10 kN is about 1,019.71621298 kgf.
Every value is converted through newtons, the SI unit of force: the force that accelerates 1 kg at 1 m/s². A kilogram-force is the weight of 1 kg under standard gravity, defined as exactly 9.80665 N, and a pound-force is the weight of 1 lb.
Kilogram-force is not kilogram mass: it is the force standard gravity exerts on one kilogram, which is why scales showing kilograms are really measuring force and converting it with an assumed value of gravity. The conversion uses standard gravity, not locally measured gravity.
The newton is the SI unit of force: the force that accelerates 1 kg at 1 m/s². A kilogram-force is the weight of 1 kg under standard gravity, defined as exactly 9.80665 N, and a pound-force is the weight of 1 lb, about 4.44822162 N. So 100 N is about 22.48089431 lbf. Scales that show kilograms are really measuring force and converting it with an assumed value of gravity, which is why kgf and kg have the same number here on Earth.
Engineering loads, climbing gear and anchors are often rated in kilonewtons. 10 kN is about 1,019.71621298 kgf, roughly the weight of a one-tonne mass, which is why a 22 kN carabiner rating is sometimes described as about 2.2 tonnes-force. A rating is a static strength under specified test conditions; dynamic loads from a fall or a jerk can be several times the static weight, so do not treat a kgf conversion as a safe working load.
Converting pound-force to kilogram-force uses the same ratio as pounds to kilograms, so 50 lbf is exactly 22.6796185 kgf. Spring scales, luggage scales and pull-force meters may be marked in either unit. Force is also different from pressure and torque: pressure is force divided by area, handled by the Pressure Converter, and torque is force multiplied by a lever distance, handled by the Torque Converter. Enter only straight-line forces in this tool.
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
1 kgf → N | 9.80665 |
1 lbf → N | 4.44822162 |
100 N → lbf | 22.48089431 |
10 kN → kgf | 1,019.71621298 |
50 lbf → kgf | 22.6796185 |
It is a static strength measured under specified test conditions. 10 kN is about 1,019.71621298 kgf, roughly the weight of a one-tonne mass, which is why a 22 kN carabiner is sometimes described as about 2.2 tonnes-force. Dynamic loads from a fall or a jerk can be several times the static weight, so never treat a kgf conversion as a safe working load.
In everyday use the numbers line up, because a pound-force is the weight of one pound under standard gravity. Converting pound-force to kilogram-force therefore uses the same ratio as pounds to kilograms: 50 lbf is exactly 22.6796185 kgf. Spring scales, luggage scales and pull-force meters may be marked in either unit.
Pressure is force divided by an area and belongs in the Pressure Converter; torque is force multiplied by a lever distance and belongs in the Torque Converter. This tool handles straight-line forces only, so enter a push or a pull rather than a load spread over a surface or applied through a spanner.