Enter the total force and the cross-sectional area into the calculator to determine the total force from pressure.

Force From Pressure Formula

The following formula is used to calculate force from pressure. 

F = P/A
  • Where F is the force (N)
  • P is the pressure (N*m^2)
  • A is the area (m^2)

To calculate force from pressure, divide the total pressure by the total area.

Pressure and force can not be converted to one another through simple factors. This is because pressure and force are two different units of physical properties.

So, in order to calculate a force from pressure, a relating variable must be known. In this case, the easiest variable would be a cross-sectional area.

Since we know that pressure is equal to force times area, then we can deduce that force is equal to pressure divided by area.

How to calculate force from pressure?

The following example outlines the steps needed to calculate a force when given the pressure.

First, determine the total pressure acting on the surface. In this example problem, the pressure is given as 500 N*m^2.

Next, determine the total area that the pressure is acting on. For this case, the area is found to be 3 m^2.

Finally, calculate the force from pressure using the formula above:

F = P/A

F = 500/3

F = 166.66 N