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Pressure converter

Convert psi to bar, bar to psi, kPa, atm, hPa, mmHg and inHg for tyre, weather and blood pressure readings, with the exact factor chain.

Updated Checked against 4 worked examples

A number in the “from” unit, or with its own unit
Try
Converted value
bar
Converted value: 2.20632233381 bar
Shown to 12 significant figures, half-up
Conversion
32 psi ≈ 2.206322 bar
Conversion factor
0.0689475729317
Exactness
Exact definitions, repeating decimal

32 psi is about 2.206322 bar. One pound per square inch is about 0.06894757 bar.

The same amount counted in each unit

psi32 psibar2.206322 bar
32 psi in every pressure unit (11 rows)
UnitValueDefinition
pascal (Pa)220,632.2Base unit
hectopascal (hPa)2,206.3221 hPa = 100 Pa, exact
kilopascal (kPa)220.63221 kPa = 1,000 Pa, exact
megapascal (MPa)0.22063221 MPa = 1,000,000 Pa, exact
bar2.2063221 bar = 100,000 Pa, exact
standard atmosphere (atm)2.1774711 atm = 101,325 Pa, exact
pound per square inch (psi)321 psi = 4.4482216152605/0.00064516 Pa, exact
millimetre of mercury (mmHg)1,654.8781 mmHg = 133.322387415 Pa, exact
torr (Torr)1,654.8781 Torr = 101,325/760 Pa, exact
inch of mercury (inHg)65.152651 inHg = 3,386.389 Pa, approximate (Conventional value at 0 °C)
kilogram-force per cm² (kgf/cm²)2.2498231 kgf/cm² = 98,066.5 Pa, exact
How it's calculated S
  1. Convert pound per square inch to pascal

    32 psi×4.44822161526050.00064516 Papsi=220,632.233381 Pa32\ \text{psi} \times \tfrac{4.4482216152605}{0.00064516}\ \tfrac{\text{Pa}}{\text{psi}} = 220{,}632.233381\ \text{Pa}

    1 psi = 4.4482216152605/0.00064516 Pa, exact

  2. Convert pascal to bar

    220,632.233381 Pa÷100,000 Pabar=2.20632233381 bar220{,}632.233381\ \text{Pa} \div 100{,}000\ \tfrac{\text{Pa}}{\text{bar}} = 2.20632233381\ \text{bar}

    1 bar = 100,000 Pa, exact

  3. Combined factor

    1 psi=4.44822161526050.00064516100,000 bar≈0.0689475729317 bar1\ \text{psi} = \frac{\tfrac{4.4482216152605}{0.00064516}}{100{,}000}\ \text{bar} \approx 0.0689475729317\ \text{bar}

    Both units are defined exactly, but the converted value is a repeating decimal; it is shown to 12 significant figures.

About the pressure converter

Each pressure unit is a fixed number of pascals (newtons per square metre). The bar is exactly 100,000 Pa, the standard atmosphere 101,325 Pa and the torr 1/760 atm. The psi, one pound-force per square inch, is about 6,894.757 Pa, fixed exactly by the 1959 pound, standard gravity (9.80665 m/s²) and the 25.4 mm inch.

The default converts a 32 psi tyre pressure to 2.2063 bar. Weather maps use hectopascals (1 hPa = 1 mbar; standard sea-level pressure is 1,013.25 hPa), and blood pressure is recorded in millimetres of mercury.

Gauge and absolute readings convert with the same factor but are not interchangeable: a tyre gauge shows pressure above the surrounding air, so 32 psi on the gauge is about 46.7 psi absolute at sea level. The inch of mercury uses the conventional value at 0 °C and is marked approximate.

Worked examples

32 psi tyre pressure in bar

Value
32 psi
From
pound per square inch (psi)
To
bar
Converted value
2.2063223338 bar

Checked against: 1 psi = 4.4482216152605 N ÷ (0.0254 m)² (NIST SP 811 App. B); 32 psi = 8896443230521/4032250000000 bar (Python 3.8 fractions from the legal definitions)

1 atm in psi

Value
1 atm
From
standard atmosphere (atm)
To
pound per square inch (psi)
Converted value
14.6959487755 psi

Checked against: 101325 Pa ÷ 6894.757293168… Pa (Python 3.8 fractions from the legal definitions)

760 torr is 1 atm

Value
760 Torr
From
torr (Torr)
To
standard atmosphere (atm)
Converted value
1 atm
Exactness
Exact

Checked against: 1 torr = 101325/760 Pa by definition (NIST SP 811 App. B)

1 inHg (conventional value)

Value
1 inHg
From
inch of mercury (inHg)
To
pascal (Pa)
Converted value
3,386.389 Pa
Exactness
Approximate

Checked against: NIST SP 811 App. B.9: inch of mercury (0 °C) = 3.386389 E+03 Pa

Questions

How do I convert psi to bar?

Divide by 14.5038, or multiply by 0.0689476. A bar is 100,000 Pa and a psi 6,894.757 Pa, so 1 bar = 14.5038 psi. A 32 psi tyre is 2.2063 bar, and a 2.5 bar tyre is 36.26 psi.

Is 1 bar the same as 1 atmosphere?

No, though they are within 1.3%. The bar is exactly 100,000 Pa, while the standard atmosphere is exactly 101,325 Pa, which is 1.01325 bar, 14.696 psi or 760 mmHg. The atmosphere was set to match average sea-level air pressure, which is why weather charts centre on 1,013.25 hPa.

What is the difference between psig and psia?

psig is gauge pressure, measured relative to the surrounding air; psia is absolute pressure, measured from a vacuum. At sea level psia = psig + 14.696. Tyre and compressor gauges read psig, so a flat tyre shows 0 psig while still holding 14.7 psia of air. The converter treats both alike, so keep input and output the same kind.

Are mmHg and torr the same?

Almost. A torr is exactly 1/760 of a standard atmosphere, 133.322368 Pa, while the conventional millimetre of mercury is 133.322387415 Pa; they differ by about 0.14 parts per million. For blood pressure the difference never matters: 120/80 mmHg is 16.0/10.7 kPa either way.

How do I convert inches of mercury to hPa?

Multiply by 33.8639: 29.92 inHg is 1,013.2 hPa, the standard altimeter setting in US aviation. This converter uses the conventional inch of mercury at 0 °C, 3,386.389 Pa (NIST SP 811), and marks results that use it as approximate because mercury's density changes with temperature.

How accurate is the pressure converter?

Accuracy depends on your inputs and the method's assumptions. Decimal arithmetic uses 50 significant digits, but estimates, numerical methods and source data can be less precise; the displayed rounding does not remove those limits. It is checked against 4 worked examples whose answers come from independent sources; for example, “32 psi tyre pressure in bar” is checked against 1 psi = 4.4482216152605 N ÷ (0.0254 m)² (NIST SP 811 App. B); 32 psi = 8896443230521/4032250000000 bar (Python 3.8 fractions from the legal definitions).

Where does the method come from?

NIST SP 811 (2008), Guide for the Use of the SI, Appendix B — conversion factors; NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C — General tables of units of measurement.

About this calculator

xto=xfrom×ffromftof=one unit expressed in Pa\begin{gathered} x_{\text{to}} = x_{\text{from}} \times \dfrac{f_{\text{from}}}{f_{\text{to}}} \\ f = \text{one unit expressed in } \text{Pa} \end{gathered}

Sources

  1. NIST SP 811 (2008), Guide for the Use of the SI, Appendix B — conversion factors
  2. NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C — General tables of units of measurement

Checked against references

4 worked examples with independently sourced answers ship with this calculator. They run in the test suite; you can run them here too.

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