When to use it
Use this converter to switch between metric and imperial weights. It helps with recipes from other countries, shipping and luggage limits, body weight in kilograms, pounds or stones, gym plates, and gemstone weights in carats.
How to use it
- Enter a number in Value.
- Choose the unit you are starting from, such as Kilograms (kg).
- Choose the unit you want, such as Pounds (lb).
- Read the result, or click Copy result to copy the number.
- Use the swap button to reverse the direction.
Scroll to All conversions to see the same weight in milligrams, grams, kilograms, metric tonnes, ounces, pounds, stones, US tons, UK tons and carats.
Worked example
Your doctor writes your weight as 70 kg. Enter 70 with kilograms and pounds selected. The result is 154.3235835 lb, so about 154 pounds. The table shows about 11.02 stones.
To turn that into stones and pounds, take the whole number, 11 stones, which is 154 pounds. The remaining 0.3 lb rounds to nothing, so you weigh about 11 st 0 lb.
Now try it the other way. Someone in the UK says they weigh 11 st 4 lb. That is 11 × 14 + 4 = 158 pounds. Enter 158 with pounds selected and kilograms as the target to get about 71.67 kg.
Weight and mass
Strictly speaking, kilograms and pounds measure mass, the amount of matter in something. In everyday life we call it weight, and the numbers are the same anywhere on Earth. Kitchen, bathroom and luggage scales all show mass in these units, so the converter works for all of them.
Tips
- Use grams for baking. Weighing flour and sugar in grams is far more accurate than cups. Convert ounces to grams and use a kitchen scale.
- Check luggage limits in both units. A 23 kg bag limit is about 50.7 lb. Airlines usually round down, so pack a little under.
- Round to suit the job. One decimal place is enough for body weight, while medicine and jewellery may need more.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up tonnes and tons. A shipping quote in tons may be US or UK tons, which differ by about 12%.
- Treating 11.4 stones as 11 st 4 lb. 11.4 stones is 11 st 5.6 lb, because a stone has 14 pounds, not 10.
- Using weight ounces for liquids. Recipes in fluid ounces need the volume converter.