Force Converter: Newtons, kgf, lbf
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1 N = 0.1019716 kgfAll Results
Quick Reference Table: Newton → Kilogram-force
| Value (N) | Result (kgf) |
|---|---|
| 1 N | 0.101972 kgf |
| 5 N | 0.509858 kgf |
| 10 N | 1.0197 kgf |
| 25 N | 2.5493 kgf |
| 50 N | 5.0986 kgf |
| 100 N | 10.1972 kgf |
| 500 N | 50.9858 kgf |
| 1,000 N | 101.9716 kgf |
About Force Conversions
Force is a push or pull that changes an object's motion. The SI unit is the newton (N), defined as the force needed to accelerate 1 kilogram at 1 meter per second squared. Pound-force (lbf), common in the United States, equals about 4.448 newtons. Kilogram-force (kgf), the weight of 1 kilogram under standard gravity, equals 9.80665 N and is still used in some fields of engineering. The dyne, a CGS unit, is far smaller: 1 newton equals 100,000 dynes. You need force conversions in physics, mechanical engineering and structural design.
Everyday Forces
Weight is a force: on Earth, one kilogram of mass presses down with 9.81 newtons.
| Situation | N | lbf | kgf |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight of an apple | 1 | 0.2248 | 0.102 |
| Weight of 1 kg | 9.81 | 2.205 | 1 |
| Weight of a 70 kg adult | 687 | 154.4 | 70.05 |
| Human bite force | 700 | 157.4 | 71.38 |
| Boxer's punch | 4,000 | 899.2 | 407.9 |
| Car braking hard | 10,000 | 2,248 | 1,020 |
| Falcon 9 liftoff thrust | 7,600,000 | 1,709,000 | 775,000 |
History of the newton and the kilogram-force
Force is what changes an object's motion. For a long time it was measured by weight, the pull of the Earth on a mass; the SI measures it directly, in newtons.
- Isaac Newton published the Principia, which set out his laws of motion, the basis of how force is understood.
- The General Conference on Weights and Measures declared the kilogram a unit of mass, not of weight, and fixed standard gravity at 980.665 cm/s², the value behind the kilogram-force.
- The unit of force, the kilogram meter per second squared (kg·m/s²), was given its own name: the newton (N).
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