Unit converter
Convert the units that turn up on quotes, specifications and lab notebooks: metric tons and pounds, litres, gallons, drums and IBCs, molar and mass concentrations, temperatures and pressures. Every unit is shown at once, so you can read off the one you need.
- Metric ton (t, MT)1
- Kilogram (kg)1,000
- Gram (g)1,000,000
- Milligram (mg)1,000,000,000
- Microgram (µg)1,000,000,000,000
- Pound (lb)2,204.623
- Ounce (oz)35,273.96
- Short ton (US, 2,000 lb)1.102311
- Long ton (UK, 2,240 lb)0.9842065
- Troy ounce (oz t)32,150.75
- Grain (gr)15,432,360
How the calculation works
Each unit has an exact factor to a base unit: the kilogram for mass, the litre for volume, the pascal for pressure. The calculator converts your value to the base unit, then divides by the factor of each target unit.
| Unit | Defined as |
|---|---|
| 1 pound (lb) | 0.45359237 kg exactly |
| 1 metric ton (t) | 1,000 kg |
| 1 US gallon | 3.785411784 L exactly |
| 1 imperial gallon | 4.54609 L exactly |
| 1 oil barrel | 42 US gallons = 158.987 L |
| 1 standard atmosphere | 101,325 Pa = 1.01325 bar |
| 1 psi | 6,894.757 Pa |
| 1 Torr | 101,325 ÷ 760 Pa, about 1 mmHg |
Temperature scales do not share a zero, so they need an offset as well as a factor: °F = °C × 9 ÷ 5 + 32 and K = °C + 273.15. Concentrations convert between moles and mass with the molar mass: g/L = mol/L × M.
Worked example
The same steps the calculator follows, done by hand
A buyer in the United States asks for 5,000 US gallons of a solvent, and your price list is per 200 L drum.
- 1Convert to litres: 5,000 × 3.785411784 = 18,927 L.
- 2Divide by the drum size: 18,927 ÷ 200 = 94.6, so you need 95 drums, or about 19 IBCs of 1,000 L.
- 3To quote by weight, multiply the volume by the density. At 0.79 kg/L (acetone or ethanol) the order weighs about 18,927 × 0.79 = 14,952 kg, just under 15 metric tons.