Pound to Kilogram
Convert pound (lb) to kilogram (kg) instantly. Perfect for parcels, groceries and body weight.
Pound → Kilogram
0.453592
kg
1 lb = 0.453592 kg
Frequently asked questions
Exactly 0.45359237 kilograms. Multiply pounds by 0.453592, or divide by 2.20462, to get kilograms.
Not quite, and the difference matters. Fifty pounds is 22.68 kg, which is slightly less than the 23 kg commonly allowed on international routes. Packing to 23 kg on a route with a 50 lb limit puts you marginally over, and excess baggage charges are steep enough to make the difference worth knowing.
They are separate units for different purposes. The avoirdupois ounce used for food and post is 28.35 grams; the troy ounce used for gold, silver and platinum is 31.103 grams, about 10% heavier. Gold is quoted internationally per troy ounce and sold in India per gram, so using the wrong ounce misprices a conversion by roughly a tenth.
Divide by 2.20462, or multiply by 0.453592
A pound is exactly 0.45359237 kilograms.
Kilograms = pounds × 0.453592
When Indian readers need this direction
Gym programming. A foreign strength programme prescribing 185 lb for a set needs converting to the 84 kg you can actually load on Indian plates — and it will rarely be a round number, so rounding to the nearest available increment is part of the job.
Airline baggage. A 50 lb allowance is 22.68 kg, which is *less* than the 23 kg commonly allowed internationally. Packing to 23 kg on a route with a 50 lb limit means being marginally over, and excess baggage charges are steep enough that the difference is worth knowing.
Imported goods and shipping, where weights on documentation may be in pounds.
Nutritional and medical literature from US sources, where body weight and dosing are frequently in pounds.
Common values
- 1 lb = 0.45 kg
- 10 lb = 4.54 kg
- 25 lb = 11.34 kg
- 45 lb = 20.41 kg — a standard Olympic plate in US gyms
- 50 lb = 22.68 kg
- 100 lb = 45.36 kg
- 150 lb = 68.04 kg
- 200 lb = 90.72 kg
Stones and pounds
British weights are usually given in stones, at 14 pounds each. Convert to total pounds first:
11 stone 4 lb = (11 × 14) + 4 = 158 lb, then 158 × 0.453592 = 71.67 kg.
Ounces
Where a weight includes ounces, note that there are 16 ounces in a pound — unlike the 12 in a troy pound used for precious metals.
5 lb 8 oz = 5 + (8 ÷ 16) = 5.5 lb = 2.49 kg.
The troy system is a genuine trap in an Indian context because gold is traded in troy ounces internationally while being sold domestically in grams and tolas. A troy ounce is 31.103 grams against the avoirdupois ounce's 28.35 — a difference of about 10%, which on a gold price quotation is not a rounding error.
A mental approximation
Halve it and subtract about 10%. For 150 lb: 75 less 7.5 = 67.5 kg against an exact 68.04. Or divide by 2.2 directly if the number is convenient.
Weight plates and the rounding problem
A practical consequence for anyone following a foreign strength programme. American gyms plate in pounds — 45, 35, 25, 10, 5 and 2.5 lb — while Indian gyms plate in kilograms, typically 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5 and 1.25 kg.
A prescribed 185 lb works out to 83.91 kg, which cannot be loaded exactly on metric plates. The nearest practical load is 82.5 or 85 kg, and which you choose matters more for programmes built on percentage progressions than for straight sets.
The sensible approach is to convert the programme's starting weight once, round to the nearest loadable figure, and then progress in metric increments thereafter rather than converting every session. Chasing exact pound equivalents week by week adds arithmetic without adding training effect.