Pound (lb)
453.6 g
One avoirdupois pound is 0.45359237 kilogram exactly (international pound, 1959), exactly 453.59237 grams.
Exact: 1 lb = 453.59237 g
What is a pound?
The pound is the main unit of weight in the United States, used for groceries, body weight and shipping. It divides into 16 ounces, and in Britain 14 pounds make a stone.
The Romans called their pound the libra (NIST Handbook 44, Appendix B). England once used more than one pound, including a troy pound for coins and precious metals, and the avoirdupois pound became the one for everyday goods.
Until 1959, the American and British pounds differed by a tiny amount. That year, English-speaking countries agreed on a single pound defined in kilograms, and NIST notes that the change made no appreciable difference to its value (NIST Handbook 44, Appendix B).
How many sticks or cups are in a pound?
US recipes use pounds for meat, potatoes and butter, and flour and sugar come in bags sized in pounds. A pound of butter is 4 sticks, so a recipe that calls for half a pound needs 2 sticks.
Turning pounds into cups depends on the ingredient. Using USDA data, a pound of all-purpose flour fills about 3.6 cups, but a pound of granulated sugar fills only about 2.3; the pounds to cups converter covers more foods.
1 pound in every unit
| Unit | Value | Exact |
|---|---|---|
| microgram | 453,592,370 mcg | 453,592,370 |
| milligram | 453,592 mg | 453,592.37 |
| gram | 453.6 g | 453.59237 |
| kilogram | 0.4536 kg | 0.45359237 |
| avoirdupois ounce | 16 oz | 16 |
| stone | 0.07143 st | — |
| troy ounce | 14.58 oz t | — |
| US short ton | 0.0005 ton | 0.0005 |
| UK long ton | 0.0004464 long ton | — |
| metric ton (tonne) | 0.0004536 t | 0.00045359237 |
Pounds conversions
From pounds
To pounds
Common amounts in pounds
Pounds: questions
Is it lb or lbs?
Both are understood, but lb is the standard abbreviation for one pound or many, as in 5 lb. Lbs is a common informal plural. Formal writing and US food labels use lb, following the rule that unit abbreviations stay the same in the plural.
How do you convert pounds to kilograms?
Multiply the pounds by 0.4536, or divide them by 2.2046. So 150 lb is 68 kg, and 200 lb is 90.7 kg. The pounds to kilograms converter handles any amount.
How many pounds are in a ton?
A US ton, also called a short ton, is 2,000 pounds. The British long ton is 2,240 pounds, and a metric ton (tonne) is 2,205 pounds, so always check which ton a figure uses.
Does the UK still use pounds?
Yes, in daily life more than in shops. UK shops must weigh and sell goods in metric units, with any pound figure shown only alongside the metric one (Weights and Measures Act 1985, section 8). Many Britons still give body weight in stones and pounds and cook from older recipes in pounds and ounces.
How many ounces is half a pound?
Half a pound is 8 ounces, or 227 g. A quarter pound is 4 ounces, the size of one US stick of butter, and three quarters of a pound is 12 ounces.
Sources: Unit definitions: NIST Handbook 44 · Last reviewed · Report an error
https://howmanyounces.com/units/pounds/