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CalcChef

Density Converter

Convert density in kg/m³, g/cm³, g/L, lb/ft³, lb/in³, lb/gal and ton/yd³: 1 g/cm³ is 1000 kg/m³, 62.428 lb/ft³ and 8.3454 lb per US gallon. How it works

Use the Density Converter

Result
0.001 g/cm³
From 1 kg/m³

1 Kilograms per cubic meter ≈ 0.001 Grams per cubic centimeter

Air at sea level is 1.225 kg/m³ at 15 °C (the ISA standard atmosphere). IUPAC standard temperature and pressure (0 °C, 100 kPa) is 1.2754 kg/m³.

Reference

About the Density Converter

1 g/cm³ equals 1000 kg/m³, 62.428 lb/ft³ and 0.0361273 lb/in³. This density converter changes a value between kg/m³, g/cm³, g/L, kg/L, lb/ft³, lb/in³, lb per US or imperial gallon, lb/yd³ and US tons per cubic yard in either direction and loads 20 materials from a table, from hydrogen to osmium, the densest at 22,590 kg/m³.

One unit of density in each of the others

1 ofkg/m³g/cm³lb/ft³lb/in³
1 kg/m³10.0010.0624280.0000361273
1 g/cm³1000162.4280.0361273
1 lb/ft³16.01850.016018510.000578704
1 lb/in³27679.927.679917281

The tool calculates with the exact definitions, 16.01846337 kg/m³ per lb/ft³ and 27679.90471 kg/m³ per lb/in³, and rounds what it shows, so they appear as 16.0185 and 27679.9.

Density in g/L, kg/L, pounds per gallon and per cubic yard

1 ofg/Lkg/Llb/US gallb/imp gallb/yd³US ton/yd³
1 kg/m³10.0010.00834540.01002241.685550.000842777
1 g/cm³100018.345410.02241685.550.842777
1 lb/US gal119.8260.11982611.20095201.9740.100987
1 US ton/yd³1186.551.186559.9022611.892120001

g/L equals kg/m³ and kg/L equals g/cm³. The US gallon is 3.785411784 L, the imperial gallon 4.54609 L and the US ton 2,000 lb.

11 of the 20 densities in the converter’s material table

Materialkg/m³g/cm³lb/ft³
Air (ISA, 15 °C)1.2250.0012250.0764743
Ethanol7890.78949.2557
Water (4°C)1,000162.428
Sea Water1,0251.02563.9887
Concrete2,4002.4149.827
Aluminum2,7002.7168.555
Steel7,8507.85490.059
Copper8,9608.96559.355
Lead11,34011.34707.933
Gold19,30019.31204.86
Osmium22,59022.591410.25

The converter’s table also lists hydrogen, helium, cork, oak, gasoline, glycerin, glass, titanium and iron. Its values are round typical figures with no source cited, so a real sample can differ. Water is entered as 1000 kg/m³, air at its ISA sea-level value of 1.225 kg/m³ (15 °C), and the other entries have no stated temperature.

How to use this tool

  1. Type a density in the From field and choose its unit. The To field shows the result; type in the To field to convert the other way.
  2. Press a preset such as Water, Steel or Gold, or open the Density Reference Table and press a material name to load it.
  3. Use the swap button to exchange the units, and the copy button to copy the result.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert kg/m³ to g/cm³?
Divide by 1000. Steel at 7850 kg/m³ is 7.85 g/cm³, and 1 kg/m³ is 0.001 g/cm³. To go from g/cm³ to kg/m³, multiply by 1000.
How do I convert g/cm³ to lb/ft³?
Multiply by 62.428. Gold at 19.3 g/cm³ is 1204.86 lb/ft³, and steel at 7.85 g/cm³ is 490.059 lb/ft³. To go back, divide by the same number.
How many lb/ft³ are in a lb/in³?
1728, which is 12³ because a cubic foot holds 1728 cubic inches. So 1 lb/ft³ is 0.000578704 lb/in³.
What is the density of water in kg/m³?
The converter uses 1000 kg/m³, which is 1 g/cm³ and a rounded value. Wikipedia gives the maximum as 0.99997 g/cm³ (about 999.97 kg/m³) at 3.98 °C, 0.99984 g/cm³ at 0 °C and 0.99705 g/cm³ at 25 °C. Above about 4 °C water becomes less dense as it warms, so use a measured value if the temperature matters.
What is the density of air in kg/m³?
It depends on temperature and pressure. In the ISA standard atmosphere at sea level and 15 °C it is 1.225 kg/m³, the value the converter uses. At 0 °C and 100 kPa (IUPAC standard conditions) dry air is about 1.2754 kg/m³, and at 0 °C and 1 atm it is 1.2923 kg/m³.
How many pounds per gallon is water?
At 1000 kg/m³, water is 8.3454 lb per US gallon and 10.0224 lb per imperial gallon, because the imperial gallon is about 20% larger. For another liquid, multiply its g/cm³ by 8.3454: gasoline at 0.75 g/cm³ is about 6.26 lb per US gallon.

Comparing datasheets in different units

Material datasheets give density in g/cm³, kg/m³ or lb/ft³ depending on who wrote them. Type a value in either field to compare them, or load one of 20 materials from the reference table: carbon steel at 7.85 g/cm³ is 490.059 lb/ft³, so a US supplier quoting 490 lb/ft³ is quoting essentially the same value. Multiplying a density by a volume then gives a mass estimate in the units you need.

The table values are round typical figures, not tested samples, and not all at the same conditions: hydrogen and helium are at 0 °C, air is the ISA sea-level figure at 15 °C, and the liquids and solids carry no stated temperature. A gas changes density a great deal with temperature and pressure, so enter a value measured at your conditions.

Everything goes through kg/m³

value in kg/m³ = value × factor, then result = kg/m³ ÷ target factor. The factors are 1 for kg/m³ and g/L, 1000 for g/cm³ and kg/L, 16.01846337 for lb/ft³, 27679.90471 for lb/in³, 119.8264273 for lb per US gallon, 99.77637266 for lb per imperial gallon, 0.593276421 for lb/yd³ and 1186.552842 for US tons (2,000 lb) per cubic yard. They follow from 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg, 1 US gal = 3.785411784 L, 1 imperial gal = 4.54609 L and the foot, inch and yard.

Example: 1 g/cm³ is 1000 kg/m³, and 1000 ÷ 16.01846337 = 62.428 lb/ft³. Water at 1000 kg/m³ is 8.3454 lb per US gallon and 10.0224 lb per imperial gallon, and concrete at 2400 kg/m³ is 4045.33 lb/yd³ or 2.02267 US tons per cubic yard. Results are rounded to six significant digits and never use an exponent, so 1 kg/m³ is 0.0000361273 lb/in³. 1 lb/in³ is exactly 1728 lb/ft³ (12³), and the converter shows it that way.

A negative density gets a message instead of a result.

Fun Fact: Liquid water is densest at about 3.98 °C, not at its freezing point: 0.99997 g/cm³ there against 0.99984 g/cm³ at 0 °C.

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