Kilograms to pounds converter

How to convert kilograms to pounds

Multiply kilograms by 2.20462 to get pounds. So 1 kg = 2.20462 lb, 10 kg = 22.05 lb and 70 kg = 154.32 lb. The factor is the same for body weight, luggage, food and gym plates; for an exact result, divide by 0.45359237.

Why 1 kg is 2.20462 lb

Since 1959 the international pound has been defined as exactly 0.45359237 kg (NIST). One kilogram is therefore 1 ÷ 0.45359237 = 2.2046226218… lb, a decimal that never ends.

The rounded factor 2.20462 is off by less than 0.001 lb even at 100 kg. Dividing by 0.45359237 gives the exact answer.

Kg to lbs chart

A 20 kg barbell is 44.09 lb. Below 1 kg, ounces are easier to picture: half a kilo is 1.10231131092 lb (1 lb 1.6 oz), and a quarter kilo is 0.551155655462 lb (8.8 oz).

Kg to pounds and ounces

A result such as 22.05 lb is in decimal pounds. The .05 is a twentieth of a pound, not 5 ounces. To get pounds and ounces:

1. Convert the kilograms to pounds and keep the whole pounds.
2. Multiply the decimal part by 16, the number of ounces in a pound.
3. Round the ounces only at the end.

Worked examples:

• 10 kg = 22.0462262185 lb = 22 lb + 0.739619495804 oz, or about 22 lb 0.74 oz.
• 1.5 kg = 3.30693393277 lb = 3 lb + 4.91094292437 oz, or about 3 lb 4.91 oz.
• A 3.5 kg newborn = 7.71617917647 lb = 7 lb + 11.46 oz, or 7 lb 11 oz to the nearest ounce.

If the ounces round up to 16, carry a pound: 1 lb 15.99 oz to the nearest ounce is 2 lb 0 oz, not 1 lb 16 oz.

What is 23 kg in pounds?

23 kg is 50.71 lb. Baggage limits printed as "23 kg / 50 lb" pair two numbers that are not equal, because 50 lb is only 22.68 kg.

A bag that weighs 22.9 kg passes a 23 kg limit but is 50.49 lb, over a 50 lb one. Check your reading in the unit the limit is written in.

How to convert kg to lbs in your head

Double the kilograms, then add a tenth of the result. For 70 kg: 140 + 14 = 154 lb, against an exact 154.32 lb.

This multiplies by 2.2, which runs about 0.21% low. At 10 kg it gives 22 lb, 0.0462262184878 lb under the exact 22.0462262185 lb; at 100 kg it is 0.46 lb under.

Common mistakes

• Dividing instead of multiplying. 10 kg is 22.05 lb, not 4.54 lb. A pound is smaller than a kilogram, so the pound figure is always the larger number.
• Mixing kilograms and grams. Type 2 kg 250 g as 2+250/1000: that is 2.25 kg, or 4.96040089916 lb. Watch the zeros: 2 kg 50 g is 2.05 kg, not 2.5 kg.
• Keeping digits the scale never measured. A reading good to ±0.01 kg is good to ±0.0220462262185 lb, about ±0.35 oz. A 10.00 kg reading is 22.05 lb; the later digits of 22.0462262185 lb were never measured.
• Converting liters. A liter measures volume, so it becomes a mass only through the substance's density. Water is close to 1 kg, or 2.2 lb, per liter.

Related conversions

For the reverse direction, use lbs to kg, and for UK body weights, kg to stones. The weight converter handles ounces, grams and tonnes; for an amount in grams, start with grams to kg.