Density and specific gravity converter
Convert density between g/mL, kg/m³ and lb/gal, work out specific gravity against water at any reference temperature, read degrees Baumé and API gravity, and turn litres into kilograms for drums, IBCs and tankers.
Baumé and API scales are always referred to water at 60 °F.
Density
1.84g/mL
- g/mL1.84
- kg/m³1,840
- g/L1,840
- lb/ft³114.867
- lb/US gal15.3555
- lb/UK gal18.4412
- SG vs 4 °C1.8401
- SG vs 15 °C1.8417
- SG vs 15.56 °C1.8418
- SG vs 20 °C1.8433
- SG vs 25 °C1.8454
- Baumé (heavy)66.27 °Bé
Mass and volume at this density
How many kilograms fit in a drum, or how many litres a ton of liquid takes up.
Mass of 1 drums of 200 L
368kg
Liquids expand when warm, so drums and IBCs are not filled to the brim. Allow headspace, often 5 % or more, as required by the packaging and dangerous goods rules.
How the calculation works
Density is mass per unit volume. Specific gravity, also called relative density, divides it by the density of water, so it has no unit.
- ρ
- density, for example in g/mL (the same number as kg/L and g/cm³)
- t₁, t₂
- temperatures of the sample and of the reference water, written SG 20/4 for a sample at 20 °C against water at 4 °C
Because water is densest at 4 °C (0.99997 g/mL), SG 20/4 is numerically almost equal to the density in g/mL. Against water at 20 °C the number is about 0.2 % higher. Always check which reference a specification uses.
Some industries still use hydrometer scales defined at 60 °F (15.56 °C):
To convert a volume to a mass, multiply by the density: kg = L × kg/L. Density falls as liquids warm up, so use the value at the temperature of the material.
| Temperature | Density |
|---|---|
| 0 °C | 0.99984 |
| 4 °C | 0.99997 |
| 10 °C | 0.99970 |
| 15 °C | 0.99910 |
| 20 °C | 0.99821 |
| 25 °C | 0.99705 |
| 30 °C | 0.99565 |
| 40 °C | 0.99222 |
| 50 °C | 0.98804 |
| 60 °C | 0.98320 |
| 80 °C | 0.97179 |
| 100 °C | 0.95835 |
Worked example
The same steps the calculator follows, done by hand
Glycerol has a density of about 1.261 g/mL at 20 °C. A customer asks for its specific gravity and the weight of a full 200 L drum and a 1,000 L IBC.
- 1SG 20/4: 1.261 ÷ 0.99997 = 1.2610.
- 2SG 20/20: 1.261 ÷ 0.99821 = 1.2633, slightly higher because water at 20 °C is less dense.
- 3Mass in 200 L: 200 × 1.261 = 252.2 kg. Mass in 1,000 L: 1,261 kg. The real net weight depends on how full the container is filled.