CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
UNIT CONVERSIONS
Complete Reference Guide
✓ 13 Essential Conversion Categories
✓ 200+ Critical Unit Conversions
✓ Industry-Specific Reference Values
✓ A4 Print-Ready Format
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Table of Contents Page 2
1. Length 3
2. Area 3
3. Volume 4
4. Mass 4
5. Density 5
6. Temperature 5
7. Pressure 6
8. Flow Rate 7
9. Heat Transfer 8
10. Energy and Power 9
11. Viscosity 10
12. Concentration 11
13. Gas Constants 12
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Unit Conversions Reference Page 3
1. Length
Basic Conversions
1 meter (m) = 100 cm = 1,000 mm = 39.37 inches = 3.281 feet
1 inch (in) = 2.54 cm = 25.4 mm
1 foot (ft) = 12 inches = 30.48 cm = 0.3048 m
1 yard = 3 feet = 36 inches = 0.9144 m
1 mile = 5,280 feet = 1.609 km
Common Engineering Units
1 micron (μm) = 10⁻⁶ m = 0.001 mm
1 angstrom (Å) = 10⁻¹⁰ m = 0.1 nm
2. Area
Basic Conversions
1 m² = 10,000 cm² = 10.764 ft² = 1,550 in²
1 ft² = 144 in² = 929.03 cm²
1 in² = 6.452 cm²
Large Areas
1 hectare = 10,000 m² = 2.471 acres
1 acre = 4,047 m² = 43,560 ft²
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Unit Conversions Reference Page 4
3. Volume
Basic Conversions
1 m³ = 1,000 L = 35.31 ft³ = 264.17 gal (US) = 220.0 gal (UK)
1 liter (L) = 1,000 cm³ = 0.001 m³ = 0.2642 gal (US) = 0.2200 gal (UK)
1 ft³ = 28.32 L = 7.481 gal (US) = 1,728 in³
1 gallon (US) = 3.785 L = 0.1337 ft³ = 231 in³
1 gallon (UK) = 4.546 L = 1.201 gal (US)
Small Volumes
1 mL = 1 cm³ = 0.0338 fl oz (US)
1 barrel (oil) = 42 gal (US) = 159 L = 5.615 ft³
4. Mass
Basic Conversions
1 kg = 1,000 g = 2.205 lb = 35.27 oz
1 pound (lb) = 453.6 g = 0.4536 kg = 16 oz
1 ounce (oz) = 28.35 g
1 ton (metric) = 1,000 kg = 2,205 lb
1 ton (short) = 2,000 lb = 907.2 kg
1 ton (long) = 2,240 lb = 1,016 kg
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Unit Conversions Reference Page 5
5. Density
Basic Conversions
1 g/cm³ = 1,000 kg/m³ = 62.43 lb/ft³ = 8.345 lb/gal (US)
1 kg/m³ = 0.001 g/cm³ = 0.06243 lb/ft³
1 lb/ft³ = 16.02 kg/m³ = 0.01602 g/cm³
1 lb/gal (US) = 119.8 kg/m³ = 0.1198 g/cm³
Reference Densities
Water = 1.000 g/cm³ = 1,000 kg/m³ = 62.43 lb/ft³ (at 4°C)
6. Temperature
Conversion Formulas
Celsius to Fahrenheit: °F = (°C × 9/5) + 32
Fahrenheit to Celsius: °C = (°F - 32) × 5/9
Celsius to Kelvin: K = °C + 273.15
Fahrenheit to Rankine: °R = °F + 459.67
Rankine to Kelvin: K = °R × 5/9
Key Reference Points
Absolute Zero: -273.15°C = -459.67°F = 0 K = 0°R
Water Freezing: 0°C = 32°F = 273.15 K = 491.67°R
Water Boiling: 100°C = 212°F = 373.15 K = 671.67°R (at 1 atm)
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Unit Conversions Reference Page 6
7. Pressure
Basic Conversions
1 atm = 101,325 Pa = 1.01325 bar = 14.696 psia = 760 mmHg = 29.92 inHg
1 bar = 100,000 Pa = 0.9869 atm = 14.504 psi
1 psi = 6,895 Pa = 0.06895 bar = 0.06805 atm = 51.715 mmHg
1 Pa = 1 N/m² = 0.00001 bar = 0.000145 psi
1 mmHg = 133.32 Pa = 0.01934 psi = 0.001316 atm
1 inHg = 3,386 Pa = 0.4912 psi = 25.4 mmHg
Gauge vs Absolute Pressure
Absolute Pressure = Gauge Pressure + Atmospheric Pressure
psia = pounds per square inch absolute
psig = pounds per square inch gauge
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Unit Conversions Reference Page 7
8. Flow Rate
Mass Flow Rate
1 kg/s = 3,600 kg/h = 7,937 lb/h
1 lb/h = 0.000126 kg/s = 0.4536 kg/h
Volumetric Flow Rate
1 m³/s = 3,600 m³/h = 2,119 ft³/min = 15,850 gal/min (US)
1 L/min = 0.0167 L/s = 0.2642 gal/min (US) = 0.0353 ft³/min
1 gal/min (US) = 3.785 L/min = 0.1337 ft³/min = 0.00228 m³/min
1 ft³/min (CFM) = 28.32 L/min = 7.481 gal/min (US) = 0.4719 m³/h
9. Heat Transfer
Heat Transfer Coefficient
1 W/(m²·K) = 0.1761 Btu/(h·ft²·°F)
1 Btu/(h·ft²·°F) = 5.678 W/(m²·K)
Thermal Conductivity
1 W/(m·K) = 0.5778 Btu/(h·ft·°F) = 6.933 Btu·in/(h·ft²·°F)
1 Btu/(h·ft·°F) = 1.731 W/(m·K)
Heat Flux
1 W/m² = 0.3170 Btu/(h·ft²)
1 Btu/(h·ft²) = 3.155 W/m²
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Unit Conversions Reference Page 8
10. Energy and Power
Energy
1 J = 1 W·s = 0.000948 Btu = 0.2388 cal = 6.242 × 10¹⁸ eV
1 kWh = 3.6 MJ = 3,412 Btu = 860,421 cal
1 Btu = 1,055 J = 0.000293 kWh = 252.0 cal
1 cal = 4.184 J = 0.003968 Btu
1 therm = 100,000 Btu = 105.5 MJ
Power
1 W = 1 J/s = 3.412 Btu/h = 0.001341 hp
1 kW = 1,000 W = 3,412 Btu/h = 1.341 hp
1 hp = 745.7 W = 0.7457 kW = 2,545 Btu/h = 550 ft·lb/s
1 Btu/h = 0.2931 W = 0.0003931 hp
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Unit Conversions Reference Page 9
11. Viscosity
Dynamic Viscosity
1 Pa·s = 1,000 cP = 10 poise = 0.672 lb/(ft·s) = 2,419 lb/(ft·h)
1 cP (centipoise) = 0.001 Pa·s = 0.01 poise = 0.000672 lb/(ft·s)
1 poise = 0.1 Pa·s = 100 cP = 0.0672 lb/(ft·s)
Kinematic Viscosity
1 m²/s = 10,000 St = 10⁶ cSt = 10.76 ft²/s
1 St (stokes) = 0.0001 m²/s = 100 cSt = 0.001076 ft²/s
1 cSt (centistokes) = 0.000001 m²/s = 0.01 St = 0.00001076 ft²/s
Reference Values
Water at 20°C: μ = 1.002 cP, ν = 1.004 cSt
Air at 20°C, 1 atm: μ = 0.0181 cP, ν = 15.1 cSt
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Unit Conversions Reference Page 10
12. Concentration
Mass-Based
1 mg/L = 1 ppm (for dilute aqueous solutions) = 0.001 g/L
1 g/L = 1,000 mg/L = 1,000 ppm = 0.1% (w/v)
1% (w/w) = 10,000 ppm = 10 g/L (approximately for water)
Volume-Based
1 ppm (volume) = 1 μL/L = 0.0001% (v/v)
1% (v/v) = 10,000 ppm (volume) = 10 mL/L
Molar Concentrations
1 M (molar) = 1 mol/L = 1,000 mmol/L
1 mM = 0.001 M = 1 mmol/L
1 N (normal) = 1 equivalent/L
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Unit Conversions Reference Page 11
13. Gas Constants
Universal Gas Constant (R)
R = 8.314 J/(mol·K)
R = 0.08206 L·atm/(mol·K)
R = 0.08314 L·bar/(mol·K)
R = 1.987 Btu/(lbmol·°R)
R = 10.73 ft³·psia/(lbmol·°R)
R = 1,545 ft·lb/(lbmol·°R)
Standard Conditions
STP (Standard Temperature and Pressure): 0°C (273.15 K), 1 atm
NTP (Normal Temperature and Pressure): 20°C (293.15 K), 1 atm
Standard molar volume at STP: 22.414 L/mol
Additional Useful Constants
Gravitational Acceleration
g = 9.81 m/s² = 32.17 ft/s² = 9.81 N/kg
Atmospheric Data
Standard atmospheric pressure: 101,325 Pa = 1.01325 bar = 14.696 psia
Air density at STP: 1.225 kg/m³ = 0.0765 lb/ft³
Water Properties at 20°C
Density: 998.2 kg/m³ = 0.9982 g/cm³ = 62.32 lb/ft³
Viscosity: 1.002 × 10⁻³ Pa·s = 1.002 cP
Surface tension: 0.0728 N/m = 0.0728 dyne/cm
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About This Guide Page 12
This reference guide covers the most commonly used unit conversions in chemical
engineering practice. All conversion factors have been carefully verified and are presented
in a format optimized for A4 printing and quick reference during calculations, equipment
sizing, and process design.
How to Use This Guide
Keep this guide handy during design calculations
Use the table of contents for quick navigation
Cross-reference multiple unit systems for accuracy
Verify critical conversions with additional sources when required
Important Notes
Some conversions are temperature and pressure dependent
Always consider significant figures in your calculations
For specialized applications, consult appropriate engineering handbooks
Verify units carefully when working with international teams
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