Pounds to KG Converter

Why Pound and Kilogram?

The world is split into two main weight systems. The United States uses the pound (lb) as its primary unit for body weight, groceries, and shipping. The United Kingdom is a hybrid: people still state their body weight in stones and pounds, but food labels and science use kilograms. The rest of the world — including continental Europe, most of Asia, Africa, and South America — has fully adopted the kilogram (kg) as the base metric unit of mass.

If you are traveling, shipping internationally, reading a fitness plan from another country, or following a recipe in unfamiliar units, a reliable converter between pounds, kilograms, stones, and ounces removes all the guesswork.

How to Convert

The conversion between pounds and kilograms is defined exactly: 1 pound = 0.45359237 kilograms. This precise value was established by the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement signed by six English-speaking nations, including the US and UK. Since then, the pound is legally defined in terms of the kilogram, not the other way around.

• Pounds to kilograms: multiply by 0.45359237 (or divide by 2.2046226)
• Kilograms to pounds: multiply by 2.2046226
• Stones to pounds: multiply by 14 (1 stone = 14 lb = 6.35029 kg)
• Ounces to pounds: divide by 16 (1 oz = 0.0625 lb = 28.3495 g)

Stones: the British Quirk

The stone (st) is a traditional British unit equal to exactly 14 pounds, or about 6.35 kg. While the UK officially adopted the metric system decades ago, the stone has stubbornly survived in everyday speech when describing body weight. A British person might say they weigh "11 stone 4" (11 st 4 lb = 158 lb = 71.7 kg) rather than giving a number in kilograms or pure pounds.

Outside the UK and Ireland, the stone is almost never used. In the United States, even though imperial units dominate, body weight is stated purely in pounds. If you are watching a British TV show or reading a UK fitness article and see a weight in stones, this converter will give you the equivalent instantly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the exact pound to kg conversion? 1 pound equals exactly 0.45359237 kilograms. This exact value has been internationally defined since the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement.

Why do the British use stones? The stone is a traditional British unit equal to 14 pounds. It remains common in the UK and Ireland for measuring human body weight, even though the metric system is officially used for most other purposes.

Is lb the same as lbs? Yes. "lb" is the abbreviation for pound (from the Latin "libra"), and "lbs" is simply its informal plural form. Both refer to the same unit of weight.

Is my data stored? No. All conversions run entirely in your browser. No data is collected or transmitted to any server.