Kilograms or pounds, without the guessing
Bathroom scales, gym plates, luggage limits, recipes and shipping labels all switch between kilograms and pounds, and the common shortcut of doubling and adding a bit only gets you close. This weight converter gives the exact figure both ways, plus pounds and ounces and the stone used in the UK and Ireland.
Need something else? The third mode converts between grams, milligrams, tonnes, ounces, pounds, stone and short and long tons.
How to use it
- Choose kg to pounds, Pounds to kg, or Any weight unit.
- Enter the weight. For pounds to kilograms you can add ounces too.
- In the third mode, choose the unit you have and the unit you want.
- Read the answer, with pounds and ounces, stone or every other unit listed underneath.
The conversion factor
1 pound = 0.45359237 kg exactly
1 kg = 2.20462 pounds (to five decimal places)
1 stone = 14 pounds; 1 pound = 16 ouncesThe pound has been defined as exactly 0.45359237 kilograms since 1959, as set out in NIST Handbook 44. Dividing by that figure is exact; multiplying by 2.2 is a rough shortcut that is about 0.2% short.
Worked example: 70 kg in pounds
- 70 ÷ 0.45359237 = 154.32 lb
- The 0.32 of a pound is 0.32 × 16 = 5.2 ounces, so 154 lb 5.2 oz
- In stone: 154.32 ÷ 14 = 11 stone with 0.3 lb left over
Going the other way works the same. 150 lb 8 oz is 150.5 lb, and 150.5 × 0.45359237 = 68.27 kg. Ounces are sixteenths of a pound, so 8 ounces is exactly half a pound; that is why the ounces are divided by 16 before they are added on.
So 70 kg is 154.32 lb, or 11 st 0.3 lb. The quick shortcut of 70 × 2.2 = 154 is close, but on heavier weights the gap grows.
Kilograms to pounds chart
Gym plates, luggage and shipping limits tend to use round numbers in one system that look untidy in the other. A 23 kg airline bag limit is 50.7 lb, and a 20 kg plate is 44.1 lb.
| Kilograms | Pounds | Stone and pounds |
|---|---|---|
| 50 kg | 110.2 lb | 7 st 12.2 lb |
| 60 kg | 132.3 lb | 9 st 6.3 lb |
| 70 kg | 154.3 lb | 11 st 0.3 lb |
| 80 kg | 176.4 lb | 12 st 8.4 lb |
| 90 kg | 198.4 lb | 14 st 2.4 lb |
| 100 kg | 220.5 lb | 15 st 10.5 lb |
Easy slips
- Reading 154.3 lb as 154 lb 3 oz. The decimal is tenths of a pound; 0.3 lb is about 4.8 ounces.
- Mixing up ounces. Weight ounces and fluid ounces measure different things; for liquids, use the unit converter.
- Confusing tons. A US short ton is 2,000 lb, a UK long ton is 2,240 lb, and a metric tonne is 1,000 kg, about 2,204.6 lb.
- Rounding body weight too early when tracking progress. Keep a decimal place so small changes still show.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert kg to pounds?
Divide the kilograms by 0.45359237, or multiply by about 2.20462. So 70 kg is 154.32 lb and 100 kg is 220.46 lb. The converter shows the exact figure, the same weight in pounds and ounces, and in stone and pounds.
How do I convert pounds to kg?
Multiply the pounds by 0.45359237. So 150 lb is 68.04 kg and 200 lb is 90.72 kg. If you have pounds and ounces, divide the ounces by 16 and add them to the pounds first. Choose Pounds to kg above and the converter does both steps.
How many pounds are in a stone?
A stone is exactly 14 pounds, which is about 6.35 kilograms. Body weight is often given in stone and pounds in the UK and Ireland, so 11 st 0.3 lb means 154.3 lb. The converter shows stone for every kilogram or pound figure.
Is 1 kg the same as 2.2 pounds?
Close, but not exactly. One kilogram is 2.20462 pounds. Using 2.2 gives an answer about 0.2% too low, which is a few tenths of a pound on a body weight and more on heavy freight. The converter always uses the exact figure.
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