kg to lbs converter

How to convert kilograms to pounds

The international avoirdupois pound is exactly 0.45359237 kilograms. Dividing kilograms by that number is the conversion to pounds. One kilogram is about 2.205 pounds. The figure people memorise, 2.2, is close enough for a grocery guess and short for a shipping limit or a dose. This page does not use the troy pound, which is for precious metals and is lighter, and it does not use the stone as an intermediate unless you open the stone page.

Body weight, luggage allowances, and gym plates are the usual reasons. A 20 kg bag is 44.092 pounds. Airlines that write the limit in pounds are not using 2.2, and a bag that 'looks like' 44 lb on a 2.2 rule can still fail a scale that implements the exact pound.

Exact formula

Formulapounds = kilograms ÷ 0.45359237

pounds = kilograms ÷ 0.45359237 One kg is 2.20462262185 lb. Ten kg is 22.0462262185 lb. The worked example below uses that same conversion.

Conversion table

The kilograms column runs from 1 kg (2.205 lb) through 500 kg (1102.31 lb).

Worked example: Kilograms to Pounds

A 20 kg checked bag is 44.092 lb on a scale that uses the international avoirdupois pound of 0.45359237 kg. Memorising 2.2 is why the bag looks legal and then fails. One kilogram by itself is 2.205 lb, not 2.2 lb. A clinic weight of 75 kg is 165.35 lb. This is mass, not a troy pound for gold, and it does not pass through stone. A metric tonne is 1000 kg, which is not the US short ton of 2000 lb.

Pitfalls for kilograms to pounds

• 2.2 is a shortcut. 1 ÷ 0.45359237 is 2.20462262185…, so 2.2 is light by about 0.2 percent.
• Troy ounces and troy pounds are not these units. Jewellery weight will not match.
• A metric tonne is 1000 kg. A US short ton is 2000 lb, which is not 1000 kg.
• Mass and weight are the same conversion on Earth for this pair. Do not also multiply by gravity.