Units of pressure

Pressure is defined as force per area of application and is used to describe anything from the tire pressure of your car to industrial systems. There is a wide range of various units for measuring pressure, and the use of these depend for instance on geography or industry; like kilopascal (kPa), bar, PSO or atmosphere (atm).  

Conversion tool

Using the conversion tool you can easily convert from kilopascal (kPa) to a number of other units, like bar, PSI, Pascal or atm. The results are shown immediately with exact factors.   

Results

UnitValue

How pressure is measured

Pressure is the measure for perpendicular force applied to an area.  It is used to monitor and control systems in industry, science and of course in many household appliances, and it is defined mathematically as:  

Power = Force ÷ Area
  • Pascal (Pa): Standard unit in the metric system. 1 Pa = 1 Newton per square meter.
  • Bar: Commonly used in industry or technical environments. 1 bar =  100 000 Pa.
  • PSI: Used primarily in English speaking contries/industries.  1 PSI = 6894,76 Pa. 
  • Atmosphere (atm): States the pressure at sea level, appr.  101 325 Pa. 



What instruments are used to gauge pressure? 

Pressure can be measured using various instruments, depending on the demands of the application and the necessary accuracy. Some of the most commonly used instruments are: 

  • Manometre: A common measuring instrument to gauge pressure in fluids or gas, eg. i n tires, piping or process equipment. 
  • Differential pressure gauge: Used to measure differences of pressure between two points in a system, which is usable when controlling flows or ventilation systems. 
  • Digital pressure sensors: These advanced sensors are used in modern systems to measure an continuously monitor pressure in real time using high precision. 

Types of pressure

Pressure is measured differently based on the point of reference.  Common terms are: 

  • Absolute pressure:  Measured relating to absolute vacuum, which is not affected by pressure. 

  • Relative pressure: Measured relating to the atmospheric pressure (commonly referred to as overpressure).  This term is often used to state pressure in tires or hydraulic systems.  

  • Differential pressure:  The difference between two pressure points. 

Conversion table for pressure

UnitValue for 1 kPaRelation to kPa
Megapascal (MPa)0.0011 kPa = 0.001 MPa
Kilopascal (kPa)11 kPa = 1 kPa
Pascal (Pa)1,0001 kPa = 1,000 Pa
Atmosphere (standard) (atm)0.009869231 kPa ≈ 0.009869 atm
Atmosphere (technical) (at)0.010197161 kPa ≈ 0.010197 at
Megabar (Mbar)0.000000011 kPa = 0.00000001 Mbar
Kilobar (kbar)0.000011 kPa = 0.00001 kbar
Bar (bar)0.011 kPa = 0.01 bar
Decibar (dbar)0.11 kPa = 0.1 dbar
Centibar (cbar)101 kPa = 10 cbar
Microbar (μbar)10,0001 kPa = 10,000 μbar
Dyne/cm² (barye) (Ba)10,0001 kPa = 10,000 Ba
Pounds per square inch (psi)0.14503771 kPa ≈ 0.145 psi
Kilopounds per square inch (ksi)0.000145041 kPa ≈ 0.000145 ksi
Inches of mercury (inHg)0.2952991 kPa ≈ 0.295 inHg
Centimeters of mercury (cmHg)0.751 kPa ≈ 0.75 cmHg
Millimeters of mercury (mmHg/torr)7.50061681 kPa ≈ 7.501 mmHg
Micrometers of mercury (μmHg/mtorr)7,500.61681 kPa ≈ 7,500.617 μmHg
Feet of water (ftH2O)0.334551 kPa ≈ 0.335 ftH2O
Inches of water (inH2O)4.014741 kPa ≈ 4.015 inH2O
Centimeters of water (cmH2O)10.19721 kPa ≈ 10.197 cmH2O
Millimeters of water (mmH2O)101.97161 kPa ≈ 101.972 mmH2O

Units of pressure

Pressure is defined as force per area of application and is used to describe anything from the tire pressure of your car to industrial systems. There is a wide range of various units for measuring pressure, and the use of these depend for instance on geography or industry; like kilopascal (kPa), bar, PSO or atmosphere (atm).  

Conversion tool

Using the conversion tool you can easily convert from kilopascal (kPa) to a number of other units, like bar, PSI, Pascal or atm. The results are shown immediately with exact factors.   

Results

UnitValue

How pressure is measured

Pressure is the measure for perpendicular force applied to an area.  It is used to monitor and control systems in industry, science and of course in many household appliances, and it is defined mathematically as:  

Power = Force ÷ Area
  • Pascal (Pa): Standard unit in the metric system. 1 Pa = 1 Newton per square meter.
  • Bar: Commonly used in industry or technical environments. 1 bar =  100 000 Pa.
  • PSI: Used primarily in English speaking contries/industries.  1 PSI = 6894,76 Pa. 
  • Atmosphere (atm): States the pressure at sea level, appr.  101 325 Pa. 



What instruments are used to gauge pressure? 

Pressure can be measured using various instruments, depending on the demands of the application and the necessary accuracy. Some of the most commonly used instruments are: 

  • Manometre: A common measuring instrument to gauge pressure in fluids or gas, eg. i n tires, piping or process equipment. 
  • Differential pressure gauge: Used to measure differences of pressure between two points in a system, which is usable when controlling flows or ventilation systems. 
  • Digital pressure sensors: These advanced sensors are used in modern systems to measure an continuously monitor pressure in real time using high precision. 

Types of pressure

Pressure is measured differently based on the point of reference.  Common terms are: 

  • Absolute pressure:  Measured relating to absolute vacuum, which is not affected by pressure. 

  • Relative pressure: Measured relating to the atmospheric pressure (commonly referred to as overpressure).  This term is often used to state pressure in tires or hydraulic systems.  

  • Differential pressure:  The difference between two pressure points. 

Conversion table for pressure

UnitValue for 1 kPaRelation to kPa
Megapascal (MPa)0.0011 kPa = 0.001 MPa
Kilopascal (kPa)11 kPa = 1 kPa
Pascal (Pa)1,0001 kPa = 1,000 Pa
Atmosphere (standard) (atm)0.009869231 kPa ≈ 0.009869 atm
Atmosphere (technical) (at)0.010197161 kPa ≈ 0.010197 at
Megabar (Mbar)0.000000011 kPa = 0.00000001 Mbar
Kilobar (kbar)0.000011 kPa = 0.00001 kbar
Bar (bar)0.011 kPa = 0.01 bar
Decibar (dbar)0.11 kPa = 0.1 dbar
Centibar (cbar)101 kPa = 10 cbar
Microbar (μbar)10,0001 kPa = 10,000 μbar
Dyne/cm² (barye) (Ba)10,0001 kPa = 10,000 Ba
Pounds per square inch (psi)0.14503771 kPa ≈ 0.145 psi
Kilopounds per square inch (ksi)0.000145041 kPa ≈ 0.000145 ksi
Inches of mercury (inHg)0.2952991 kPa ≈ 0.295 inHg
Centimeters of mercury (cmHg)0.751 kPa ≈ 0.75 cmHg
Millimeters of mercury (mmHg/torr)7.50061681 kPa ≈ 7.501 mmHg
Micrometers of mercury (μmHg/mtorr)7,500.61681 kPa ≈ 7,500.617 μmHg
Feet of water (ftH2O)0.334551 kPa ≈ 0.335 ftH2O
Inches of water (inH2O)4.014741 kPa ≈ 4.015 inH2O
Centimeters of water (cmH2O)10.19721 kPa ≈ 10.197 cmH2O
Millimeters of water (mmH2O)101.97161 kPa ≈ 101.972 mmH2O