Calculate static pressure from fluid head, solve for vertical head or specific gravity, and convert between feet, meters, psi, kPa, bar, and density units.

Required: enter vertical head and choose a fluid to calculate gauge pressure.

Use the vertical elevation difference, not pipe length.

Pressure caused by the fluid column only.

Preset values are typical estimates.

Relative to water density of 1,000 kg/m³.

Calculated results

Static pressure——
Static head——
Specific gravity——
Pressure gradient——

P = ρgh, using standard gravity 9.80665 m/s².

Static Head Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the static head of a pump.

SH = PSI * 2.307
  • Where SH is the static head (ft)
  • PSI is the pounds per square inch of pressure

To calculate the static head, multiply the pressure in pounds per square inch by 2.31.

In this case, the formula is assuming that the fluid being pumped is water. If this fluid is not water then the result would have to be divided by the specific gravity of that fluid.

Since waters SG is 1, it is removed from the formula.

What is static head?

Static head is a measure of the total vertical distance a pump can raise water, typically expressed in units of feet.

The static head is dependent on the amount of pressure that the pump can supply/generate in the fluid line.

How to calculate static head?

The following example problem outlines the information and steps needed to calculate a static head.

First, determine the specific gravity of the fluid. In this case, the fluid is water so the specific gravity is 1 and can be dropped from the calculation.

Next, determine the total pressure generated by the pump in pounds per square inch.

In the case of this example, the pounds per square inch is found to be 50psi.

Finally, calculate the static head using the formula above:

SH = PSI * 2.31

SH = 50 * 2.31

SH = 115.5 ft