Calculate pressure from weight and contact area, such as lbs to psi or kg to kPa, or solve for the weight or area needed for a given pressure.
- All Unit Converters
- All Pressure Calculators
- Ground Pressure Calculator
- Overburden Pressure Calculator
Pressure From Weight Formula
The following formula is used to calculate the Pressure From Weight.
- Where P is the Pressure From Weight (Pa)
- W is the total weight (N)
- A is the total area (m^2)
Divide the force perpendicular to the contact surface, in newtons, by the total contact area in m². This yields average contact pressure in pascals. For mass input, the calculator first uses standard gravity 9.80665 m/s² to obtain weight force.
| Pressure (psi) | Pascals (Pa) | Kilopascals (kPa) | Bar | KSI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 34473.786 | 34.474 | 0.345 | 0.005 |
| 10 | 68947.573 | 68.948 | 0.689 | 0.010 |
| 15 | 103421.359 | 103.421 | 1.034 | 0.015 |
| 20 | 137895.146 | 137.895 | 1.379 | 0.020 |
| 25 | 172368.932 | 172.369 | 1.724 | 0.025 |
| 30 | 206842.719 | 206.843 | 2.068 | 0.030 |
| 35 | 241316.505 | 241.317 | 2.413 | 0.035 |
| 40 | 275790.292 | 275.790 | 2.758 | 0.040 |
| 50 | 344737.865 | 344.738 | 3.447 | 0.050 |
| 60 | 413685.438 | 413.685 | 4.137 | 0.060 |
| 75 | 517106.797 | 517.107 | 5.171 | 0.075 |
| 80 | 551580.583 | 551.581 | 5.516 | 0.080 |
| 90 | 620528.156 | 620.528 | 6.205 | 0.090 |
| 100 | 689475.729 | 689.476 | 6.895 | 0.100 |
| 150 | 1034213.594 | 1034.214 | 10.342 | 0.150 |
| 200 | 1378951.459 | 1378.951 | 13.790 | 0.200 |
| 250 | 1723689.323 | 1723.689 | 17.237 | 0.250 |
| 300 | 2068427.188 | 2068.427 | 20.684 | 0.300 |
| 500 | 3447378.647 | 3447.379 | 34.474 | 0.500 |
| 1000 | 6894757.293 | 6894.757 | 68.948 | 1.000 |
| * Rounded to 3 decimals after using the exact unit definitions: 1 psi = (0.45359237 × 9.80665)/(0.0254²) Pa ≈ 6894.757293168 Pa. 1 kPa = 1000 Pa; 1 bar = 100000 Pa; 1 ksi = 1000 psi. | ||||
How to Calculate Pressure From Weight?
The following example shows pressure from a known force. Select N for the weight/force input and Pa for the result unit.
Example Problem #1:
- First, determine the total weight (N). In this example, the total weight (N) is given as 200.
- Next, determine the total area (m^2). For this problem, the total area (m^2) is given as 5.
- Finally, calculate the Pressure From Weight using the equation above:
P = W / A
Inserting the values from above and solving the equation:
P = 200 / 5 = 40 (Pa)
FAQ
What units are used to measure pressure in the Pressure From Weight formula?
The Pressure From Weight formula uses pascals (Pa) as the unit of measurement for pressure. This is a standard unit of pressure in the International System of Units (SI).
Can the Pressure From Weight formula be used for any type of material?
P = W/A gives average normal contact pressure when W is the force perpendicular to the stated contact area. It does not determine peak contact stress, material strength or allowable bearing capacity. Uneven contact, concentrated loads and shear require additional analysis.
How can I convert the pressure from pascals to another unit, like PSI?
1 psi = 1 lbf/in² = 6894.757293168… Pa, using exact definitions of pound-force and inch. Divide pressure in pascals by this factor to obtain psi; equivalently, 1 Pa ≈ 0.000145037738 psi.
