1106 SDHB AppC Final 8/6/05 12:02 PM Page 389

APPENDIX C: DESIGN AIDS 389

C.7 Conversion factors

Table C.7.1 Conversion factors

Imperial to SI metric SI metric to Imperial

Plane angle
1 degree  0.017 453 3 rad 1 rad  57.2958 degree
1 minute  0.290 888 103 rad 1 rad  3437.75 minute
1 second  4.848 14 106 rad 1 rad  206 265 second
Length
1 mile  1.609 344 km 1 km  0.621 371 mile
1 chain  20.1168 m 1 km  49.7097 chain
1 yd  0.9144 m 1m  1.093 61 yd
1 ft  0.3048 m 1m  3.280 84 ft
1 in  25.4 mm 1m  39.3701 in
Area
1 mile2  2.589 99 km2 1 km2  0.386 102 mile2
1 acre  0.404 686 ha 1 ha  2.471 05 acre
1 acre  4046.86 m2 1 m2  0.247 105 103 acres
1 yd2  0.836 127 m2 1 m2  1.195 99 yd2
1 ft2  0.092 903 0 m2 1 m2  10.7639 ft2
1 in2  645.16 mm2 1 mm2  0.001 55 in2
Volume, etc.
1 acre.ft  1233.48 m3 1 m3  0.810 712 103 acre.ft
1 yd3  0.764 555 m3 1 m3  1.307 95 yd3
1 ft3  0.028 316 8 m3 1 m3  35.3147 ft3
100 super ft  0.235 973 m3 1 m3  423.776 super ft
1 ft3  28.3168 litre 1 litre  0.035 314 7 ft3
1 gal (imp.)  4.546 09 litre 1 litre  0.219 969 gal (imp.)
1 gal (US)  3.785 litre
1 in3  16.3871 103 mm3 1 mm3  0.061 023 6 103 in3
1 in3  16.3871 mL 1 mL  0.061 023 6 in3
Second moment of area
1 in4  0.416 231 106 mm4 1 mm4  2.402 51 106 in4
Mass
1 ton (imp)  1.016 05 t 1t  0.984 206 ton (imp)
1 lb  0.453 592 37 kg 1 kg  2.204 62 lb
1 oz  28.3495 g 1g  0.035 274 oz
Mass/unit length
1 lb/ft  1.488 16 kg/m 1 kg/m  0.671 971 lb/ft
1 lb/100 yd  4.960 55 g/m 1 g/m  0.201 591 lb/100 yd
1 lb/mile  0.281 849 g/m 1 g/m  3.548 lb/mile
Mass/unit area
1 lb/ft2  4.882 43 kg/m2 1 kg/m2  0.204 816 lb/ft2
1 oz/yd2  33.9057 g/m2 1 g/m2  0.029 494 oz/yd2
1 oz/ft2  305.152 g/m2 1 g/m2  0.003 277 06 oz/ft2
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390 STEEL DESIGNERS HANDBOOK

Table C.7.1 Conversion factors (continued)

Imperial to SI metric SI metric to Imperial

Mass/unit time
1 lb/s  0.453 592 kg/s 1 kg/s  2.204 62 lb/s
1 ton/h  1.016 05 t/h 1 t/h  0.984 207 ton/h
Density (mass/unit volume)
1 lb/ft3  16.0185 kg/m3 1 kg/m3  0.062 428 lb/ft3
3
1 lb/yd  0.593 278 kg/m3 1 kg/m3  1.685 56 lb/yd3
1 ton (imp)/yd3  1.328 94 t/m3 1 t/m3  0.752 48 ton (imp)/yd3
Force
1 lbf  4.448 22 N 1N  0.224 809 lbf
1 tonf (imp)  9.964 02 kN 1 kN  0.100 361 tonf (imp)
Moment of force (torque)
1 kip.in  0.112 985 kN.m 1 kN.m  8.850 75 kip.in
1 kip.ft  1.355 82 kN.m 1 kN.m  0.737 562 kip.ft
1 tonf (imp).ft  3.037 04 kN.m 1 kN.m  0.329 269 tonf (imp).ft
Force / unit length
1 lbf/ft  14.5939 N/m 1 N/m  0.068 522 lbf/ft
1 tonf (imp)/ft  32.6903 kN/m 1 kN/m  0.030 590 tonf (imp)/ft
Modulus of elasticity, pressure, stress
1 tonf (imp)/in2  15.4443 MPa 1 MPa  0.064 749 tonf (imp)/in2
1 kip/in2  6.894 76 MPa 1 MPa  0.145 038 kip/in2
1 tonf (imp)/ft2  107.252 kPa 1 MPa  9.323 85 tonf (imp)/ft2
1 kip/ft2  47.8803 kPa 1 kPa  0.020 885 4 kip/ft2
Work, energy, heat
1 lb.ft  1.355 82 J 1J  0.737 562 lbf.ft
1 Btu  1055.06 J = 0.293 W.h 1J  0.947 813 103 Btu
Power, rate of heat flow
1 hp  0.7457 kW 1 kW  1.341 02 hp
1 Btu/h  0.293 071 W 1W  3.412 14 Btu/h
Thermal conductivity
1 Btu/(ft.h.F)  1.730 73 W/(m.K) 1 W/(m.K)  0.577 789 Btu/(ft.h.F)
Coefficient of heat transfer
1 Btu/(ft2.h.F)  5.678 26 W/(m2.K) 1 W/(m2.K)  0.176 10 Btu/(ft 2.h.F)
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APPENDIX C: DESIGN AIDS 391

Table C.7.1 Conversion factors (continued)

Imperial to SI metric SI metric to Imperial

Temperature value
5 9
C   (F  32) F   C  32
9 5
Temperature interval
5 9
1C   F 1F   C
9 5
Velocity, speed
1 ft/s  0.3048 m/s 1 m/s  3.280 84 ft/s
 3.600 km/h
1 mile/h  1.609 344 km/h 1 km/h  0.621 371 mile/h
 0.2778 m/s
1 mile/h  0.447 04 m/s 1 m/s  2.236 94 mile/h
1 knot  1.852 km/h 1 km/h  0.5340 knot
1 knot  0.514 m/s 1 m/s  1.943 knot
1 knot  1.151 mile/h
Acceleration
1 ft/s2  0.3048 m/s2 1 m/s2  3.280 84 ft/s2
Volumetric flow
1 ft3/s  0.028 316 8 m3/s 1 m3/s  35.3147 ft3/s
1 ft3/min  0.471 947 litre/s 1 litre/s  2.118 88 ft3/min
1 gal (imp)/min  0.075 682 litre/s 1 litre/s  13.1981 gal (imp)/min
1 gal (imp)/h  1.262 80 103 litre/s 1 litre/s  791.888 gal (imp)/h
1 million gal/day  0.052 6168 m3/s 1 m3/s  19.0053 million gal (imp)/day
1 acre ft/s  1233.481 m3/s 1 m3/s  0.8107 103 acre.ft/s
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392 STEEL DESIGNERS HANDBOOK

Table C.7.1 Conversion factors (continued)

Conversion from Imperial, or MKS, Conversion from SI to Imperial or

to SI units MKS units

(i) Force
pound force newton
1 lbf  4.448 20 N 1N  0.224 81 lbf
 4.448 20 105 dyne  7.233 pdl
 32.174 pdl  0.101 97 kgf
kilopound force kilonewton
1 kip  4.448 kN 1 kN  224.81 lbf
1 kip  1000 lbf  0.2248 kip
ton force (long)  0.1003 tonf
1 tonf  9.964 kN  101.972 kgf
1 tonf  2240 lbf  0.101 97 megapond

poundal
1 pdl  0.138 26 N
1 pdl  0.0311 lbf
kilogram force
1 kgf  9.806 65 N
1 kgf  2.2046 lbf
 70.931 pdl
megapond (technical unit)
1 Mp  9.806 65 kN
1 Mp  1000 kgf
 2204.6 lbf
megadyne (c.g.s. unit)
1 Mdyn  10.00 N
1 Mdyn  2.2481 lbf
 72.33 pdl

(ii) Line load

pound force per ft run newton per metre
1 lbf/ft  14.594 N/m 1 N/m  0.0685 lbf/ft

kilopound per ft run kilonewton per metre

1 kip/ft  14.594 kN/m 1 kN/m  68.52 lbf/ft
 0.0306 tonf/ft
ton force per ft run  0.0685 kip/ft
1 ton/ft  32.690 kN/m  101.97 kgf/m

kilogramforce per metre

1 kgf/m  9.807 N/m
 0.6720 lbf/ft
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APPENDIX C: DESIGN AIDS 393

Table C.7.1 Conversion factors (continued)

Conversion from Imperial, or MKS, Conversion from SI to Imperial or

to SI units MKS units
(iii) Stress, pressure, distributed load
pound force per sq in megapascal
1 lbf/sq in  6.895 kPa (meganewton per sq metre)
1 lbf/sq in  0.006895 MPa 1 MPa  145.04 lbf/sq in
ton force per sq in (long ton)  0.145 ksi
1 tonf (imp)/sq in  15.44 MPa  20.885 ksf
 2240 lbf/sq in  9.32 tonf (imp)/sq ft

ton force per sq ft kilopascal

1 tonf (imp)/sq ft  107.25 kPa 1 kPa  0.020 89 ksf
 0.009 32 tonf (imp)/sq ft
kilopound force per sq in
1 ksi  6.895 MPa pascal
1 Pa  1.45 104 lbf/sq in
kilopound force per sq ft  1 N/m2
1 ksf  47.88 kPa
kilogram force per sq cm
1 kgf/cm2  98.07 kPa
 14.223 lbf/sq in
atmosphere
1 atm  101.3 kPa
 14.696 lbf/sq in
bar
1 bar  14.504 lbf/sq in
 100 kPa
 1.02 kgf/cm2

(iv) Bending, moment, torque

pound force inch newton metre
1 lbf.in  0.1130 N.m 1 N.m  8.851 lbf.in
 0.7376 lbf.ft
pound force foot
 10.20 kgf.cm
1 lbf.ft  1.356 N.m
kilonewton metre
ton force (imp) inch
1 kN.m  737.6 lbf.ft
1 tonf.in  0.2531 kN.m
 3.951 tonf (imp).in
ton force (imp) foot  0.3293 tonf (imp).ft
1 tonf.ft  3.0372 kN.m  8.851 kip.in
 0.7375 kip.ft
kilopound force inch  0.1020 Mp.m
1 kip.in  0.1130 kN.m
kilopound force foot
1 kip.ft  1.356 kN.m
kilogram force centimetre
1 kgf.cm  0.0981 N.m
 0.0723 lbf.ft
megapond metre
1 Mp.m  9.81 kN.m