Skip to content
UnitChart

Force Converter

Convert newtons, kilonewtons, pound-force, kilogram-force and dynes.

Permalink to this conversion

Check this before you rely on it. This converter is provided free and without warranty, and its results are not professional advice.

Popular force conversions

newtons to kNnewtons to pound forcenewtons to kilogram forcenewtons to dyneskN to newtonskN to pound forcekN to kilogram forcekN to dynespound force to newtonspound force to kNpound force to kilogram forcepound force to dynes

Force unit reference chart

What one of each unit is worth in newtons, the base unit used for every conversion in this category.

Force units expressed in newtons
UnitSymbol1 unit in N
newtonsN1 N
kilonewtonskN1,000 N
pound-forcelbf4.448221615 N
kilogram-forcekgf9.80665 N
dynesdyn0.00001 N
ounce-forceozf0.278013851 N
poundalspdl0.1382549544 N
meganewtonsMN1,000,000 N

Force units explained

Newtons (N)

The newton is the SI unit of force: the force that accelerates one kilogram at one meter per second squared.

Kilonewtons (kN)

A kilonewton is 1,000 newtons — roughly the weight of 102 kilograms at the Earth’s surface. Structural loads and climbing hardware ratings are given in kilonewtons.

Pound-force (lbf)

One pound-force is the weight of one pound under standard gravity: about 4.448 newtons.

Kilogram-force (kgf)

One kilogram-force is the weight of one kilogram under standard gravity: exactly 9.80665 newtons. It is the force unit behind pressure readings given in kgf/cm².

Dynes (dyn)

A dyne is the CGS unit of force, equal to 10 micronewtons. It survives mainly in surface tension measurements, quoted as dynes per centimeter.

Frequently asked questions

What is the base unit of force?

This converter routes every force conversion through the newton. Converting from one unit to another means converting to newtons first and then out again, which keeps every pair consistent with every other pair.

How accurate are these force conversions?

Results are shown to 10 significant digits using exact defined factors wherever a unit has one. No rounding is applied beyond that final display step.

All force conversions

Every force conversion page on this site, 40 in total.