psi – Pounds per Square Inch Pressure Unit

Pounds or pound force per square inch (psi, lb/in², pfsi or lbf/in²) is a widely used British and American unit of measure for pressure. 1 psi equals 6,894.76 pascals.

In the USA the PSI pressure unit is the primary unit of measure for pressure and almost all pressure instruments are specified and display in pounds per square inch.

The psi is still used extensively in the UK but the bar pressure unit has mostly replaced it as the primary pressure unit.

Use the conversion factors below to convert from PSI to other pressure units or vice versa. To convert a reading in PSI to another unit multiply it by the relevant pressure conversion factor. To convert a reading in any pressure unit to PSI divide it by the relevant pressure conversion factor. Alternatively convert from a psi pressure value into another unit using the psi conversion table or the pressure unit converter.

Find out how psi is derived from SI units and view the alternative descriptions for psi.

Conversion Factors

0.0689476 bar
1 psi
68.9476 mbar
6894.76 N/m²
6894.76 Pa
68.9476 hPa
6.89476 kPa
0.00689476 MPa
0.0703070 kg/cm²
703.070 mmH2O 4°C (39.2°F)
70.3070 cmH2O 4°C (39.2°F)
0.703070 mH2O 4°C (39.2°F)
27.6799 inH2O 4°C (39.2°F)
2.30666 ftH2O 4°C (39.2°F)
51.7149 mmHg 0°C (32°F)
5.17149 cmHg 0°C (32°F)
2.03602 inHg 0°C (32°F)
51.7149Torr
51714.9 mTorr
0.0680460 atm
0.0703070 at
68947.6 dyn/cm²
16 oz/in²
51714.9 µHg 0°C (32°F)
0.000446429 tsi (uk, long)
0.000500000 tsi (usa, short)
0.0720000 tsf (usa, short)
144.000 psf
70.3070 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 inch (psi) 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 Inch = 0.0254 m
1 Square Inch = 0.0254 m x 0.0254 m = 0.00064516 m²
Acceleration = Standard Gravity = 9.80665 m/s²

Calculation

1 Pound Force = 0.45359237 kg x 9.80665 m/s² = 4.448221615 N
1 psi Pressure = 4.448221615 N / 0.00064516 m² = 6894.757293 Pa

Alternate Descriptions

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

Pounds Per Square Inch
Pound Per Square Inch
Pounds Force Per Square Inch
Pound Force Per Square Inch
psi
pfsi
lb/in²
lbf/in²
lb/sq in
lbf/sq in
lb/in^2
lbf/in^2
lbs/in²
lbsf/in²
lbs/sq in
lbsf/sq in
lbs/in^2
lbsf/in^2

Conversion Tables

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

mbar, hPa, Bar, inHg, mH2O, inH2O and ftH2O
bar » 1 to 100,000 psi → 0.0689476 to 6,894.76 bar
mbar » 0.1 psi to 100.0 psi → 6.89476 to 6,894.76 mbar
Pa » 0.01 psi to 20.00 psi → 68.9476 to 137,895 Pa
hPa » 0.1 psi to 100.0 psi → 6.89476 to 6,894.76 hPa
kPa » 1 to 1,000 psi → 6.89476 to 6,894.76 kPa
MPa » 100 to 100,000 psi → 0.689476 to 689.476 MPa
kg/cm² » 1 to 100,000 psi → 0.0703070 to 7,030.70 kg/cm²
g/cm² » 0.01 to 20.00 psi → 0.703070 to 1,406.14 g/cm²
N/m² » 0.01 psi to 20.00 psi → 68.9476 to 137,895 N/m²
N/mm² » 100 to 100,000 psi → 0.689476 to 689.476 N/mm²
dyn/cm² » 0.01 to 20.00 psi → 689.476 to 1,378,950 dyn/cm²
psf » 0.01 to 20.00 psi → 1.44 to 2,880.00 psf
oz/in² » 0.1 to 100.0 psi → 1.6 to 1,600.0 oz/in²
mH₂O » 1 to 1000 psi → 0.703070 to 703.070 mH₂O
inH₂O » 0.01 to 20.01 psi → 0.276799 to 553.598 inH₂O
ftH₂O » 1 to 1,000 psi → 2.30666 to 2,306.66 ftH₂O
mmHg » 0.01 to 20.00 psi → 0.517149 to 1,034.30 mmHg
inHg » 0.01 to 20.00 psi → 0.0203602 to 40.7204 mmHg
Torr » 0.01 to 20.00 psi → 0.517149 to 1,034.30 Torr

Help

20,000 psi to bar

What would be bar conversion scale for 0-20,000 psi range?

20,000 psi = 1,378.95… bar

780 psi to kPa

How to convert 780 psi to kPa?

780 psi = 5377.91 kPa

1 psi to oz/in²

How many oz/in² are there in 1 psi?

There are 16 oz in 1 lb, so 1 psi = 16 oz/in²

The 0-2 psi conversion scale below shows the conversion values around 1 psi.

0-200 psi to bar

What is european bar equivalent values for a 0-200 psi range?

This graphic shows the equivalent bar values over the range 0 to 200 psi:

lbf/in² meaning

What is meaning of lbf/in² and the relationship to bar?

“lbf/in²” is one of the many acronyms used for “Pounds Force per Square Inch” pressure units of which “psi” is the most commonly used. The factor for converting lbf/in² into bar is 0.068948., e.g. 15 psi = 1.03422 bar.

psi to bar

What is the equation for psi to bar?

psi to bar = multiply by 0.0689476…

psi to bar

What is the equation for psi to kPa?

psi to kPa = multiply by 6.89476…

22.2 psi to ftH2O

How do I convert 22.2 psi to feet of water and what is it?

1 psi = 2.30666 feet of water, therefore 22.2 psi = 51.2 feet of water.

The pressure unit “Feet of Water” is the pressure that a 1 foot high column of water exerts under the influence of gravity.

e.g. A storage tank which contains water up to a level of 51.2 feet will push down on the bottom of the tank with a pressure of 22.2 psi.

Seawater depth into psi

What is the reading in psi at 5000 ft below the surface of the ocean?

It’s approximately 2,168 psi if you assume the specific gravity density of freshwater at 4 degC of 1.0, the actual pressure will vary by a few percent depending the seawater properties. Seawater has a varying density due to variations in salinity, temperature and pressure at different depths and geo-locations.

USA and UK psi

Is the US measure of psi the same as the UK?

Yes a USA psi is the same amount as a UK psi.

Measurement Unit Related Terms

More pages related to measurement unit technical terms.