psf – Pounds per Square Foot Pressure Unit

Pounds or Pounds Force per Square Foot is a British (Imperial) and American pressure unit which is directly related to the psi pressure unit by a factor of 144 (1 sq ft = 12 in x 12 in = 144 sq in). 1 pound per square foot equals 47.8803 pascals.

The psf pressure unit is mostly for lower pressure applications such as specifying building structures to withstand a certain wind force or rating a building floor for maximum weight load.

Use the list of pressure unit factors below to convert 1 pfsf into another engineering unit.

For reverse unit factors to convert into pfsf please click on the appropriate unit below.

Convert from or into pounds (force) per square foot using our pressure unit converter.

See the for how psf is deduced from SI units and check alternative ways of describing psf.

Conversion Factors

• 0.000478803 bar
• 0.00694444 psi
• 0.478803 mbar
• 47.8803 N/m²
• 47.8803 Pa
• 0.478803 hPa
• 0.0478803 kPa
• 0.0000478803 MPa
• 0.000488243 kg/cm²
• 4.88243 mmH2O 4°C (39.2°F)
• 0.488243 cmH2O 4°C (39.2°F)
• 0.00488243 mH2O 4°C (39.2°F)
• 0.192222 inH2O 4°C (39.2°F)
• 0.0160185 ftH2O 4°C (39.2°F)
• 0.359131 mmHg 0°C (32°F)
• 0.0359131 cmHg 0°C (32°F)
• 0.0141390 inHg 0°C (32°F)
• 0.359131 Torr
• 359.131 mTorr
• 0.000472541 atm
• 0.000488243 at
• 478.803 dyn/cm²
• 0.111111 oz/in²
• 359.131 µHg 0°C (32°F)
• 0.00000310020 tsi (uk, long)
• 0.00000347222 tsi (usa, short)
• 0.000500000 tsf (usa, short)
• 1 psf
• 0.488243 g/cm²

Please note that the conversion factors above are accurate to 6 significant figures.

Derivation

The calculation below shows how the pressure unit pounds per Square Foot (psf) is derived from SI Units.

Formula

• Pressure = Force / Area
• Force = Mass x Acceleration
• Acceleration = Distance / (Time x Time)

SI Units

• Mass: kilogram (kg)
• Length: metre (m)
• Time: second (s)
• Force: newton (N)
• Pressure: pascal (Pa)

Input Values

• 1 Pound = 0.45359237 kg
• 1 Foot = 12 ins
• 1 Inch = 0.0254 m
• 1 Square Foot = (12 x 0.0254 m) x (12 x 0.0254 m) = 0.09290304 m²
• Acceleration = Standard Gravity = 9.80665 m/s²

Calculation

• 1 Pound Force = 0.45359237 kg x 9.80665 m/s² = 4.448221615 N
• 1 psf Pressure = 4.448221615 N / 0.09290304 m² = 47.88025898 Pa

Alternate Descriptions

These are the different versions used for identifying psi that you may find elsewhere.

• Pounds Per Square Foot
• Pound Per Square Foot
• Pounds Force Per Square Foot
• Pound Force Per Square Foot
• Pounds Per Square Feet
• Pound Per Square Feet
• Pounds Force Per Square Feet
• Pound Force Per Square Feet
• psf
• pfsf
• lb/ft²
• lbf/ft²
• lb/sq ft
• lbf/sq ft
• lb/ft^2
• lbf/ft^2
• lbs/ft²
• lbsf/ft²
• lbs/sq ft
• lbsf/sq ft
• lbs/ft^2
• lbsf/ft^2

Conversion Tables

Select a look up table for converting a pressure reading in pounds per square foot to other measurement units.

• psi  »  1 to 3000 psf → 0.00694444 to 20.8333 psi