Kg to lbs converter

The rule

One pound is exactly 0.45359237 kilograms. That figure was agreed by the US, UK, Canada, Australia and others in 1959 and is listed by NIST in Handbook 44, Appendix C. So to turn kilograms into pounds, divide by 0.45359237, which is the same as multiplying by about 2.20462. To turn pounds into kilograms, multiply by 0.45359237.

Worked example

70 kg ÷ 0.45359237 = 154.3236 lb. The 0.3236 lb left over is 0.3236 × 16 = 5.2 ounces, so 70 kg is 154 lb 5.2 oz. Going back, 154.3236 lb × 0.45359237 = 70 kg.

A quick check in your head

Double the kilograms and add a tenth of that: 70 kg doubled is 140, plus 14 makes 154. That is within 0.3 lb. For pounds to kilograms, halve and take away a tenth of the half: 150 lb halved is 75, less 7.5 is 67.5 kg (exactly 68.04).

Which pound

This is the everyday (avoirdupois) pound used for body weight, food and parcels in every country. The troy pound for precious metals is different. In the UK and Ireland body weight is often given in stone: see kg to stone.

Rounding

The answer is worked out from the exact definition, then shown to 4 decimal places (6 significant figures for numbers below 1). It says "exactly" only when nothing was rounded.