Density Unit Converter
Enter a value and select units to convert
Enter a value and select units to convert
The density converter allows you to convert between different units of density, from SI units like kilograms per cubic meter to imperial units like pounds per cubic foot. This tool is useful for material science, engineering, chemistry, physics, and many fields where density measurements are needed. Density is a measure of mass per unit volume, indicating how much matter is packed into a given amount of space.
Common Density Measurement Systems
Metric System (SI)
The International System of Units (SI) uses the kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m³) as the standard unit of density.
- Kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m³): The standard SI unit for density
- Gram per cubic centimeter (g/cm³): Equal to 1000 kg/m³, commonly used in laboratories
- Kilogram per liter (kg/L): Equal to 1000 kg/m³, often used for liquids
- Water at 4°C has a density of approximately 1000 kg/m³ or 1 g/cm³
Imperial/US Customary System
Used primarily in the United States and a few other countries.
- Pound per cubic foot (lb/ft³): Common unit for solids and building materials
- Pound per cubic inch (lb/in³): Used for denser materials
- Pound per gallon (lb/gal): Often used for liquids, with different values for US and UK gallons
- Slug per cubic foot (slug/ft³): Coherent unit in the foot-pound-second system
Other Common Units
Various specialized units used in specific contexts.
- Milligram per liter (mg/L): Often used in water quality analysis, equal to parts per million (ppm) for dilute aqueous solutions
- Microgram per liter (µg/L): Used for trace components, equal to parts per billion (ppb) for dilute aqueous solutions
- Grain per gallon (gr/gal): Historically used in water hardness measurements
- Ton per cubic yard (ton/yd³): Often used in mining and construction industries
Applications
Density is a fundamental property with numerous applications:
- Materials science: Classification and identification of materials
- Engineering: Calculations for buoyancy, structural load, and material requirements
- Chemistry: Purity determination and concentration calculations
- Geology: Rock and mineral identification
- Petroleum industry: API gravity and specific gravity measurements
- Environmental science: Water quality parameters and pollutant concentrations
Common Density Conversions
| From | To | Multiply By |
|---|---|---|
| Kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m³) | Gram per cubic centimeter (g/cm³) | 0.001 |
| Kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m³) | Pound per cubic foot (lb/ft³) | 0.062428 |
| Kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m³) | Kilogram per liter (kg/L) | 0.001 |
| Gram per cubic centimeter (g/cm³) | Kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m³) | 1,000 |
| Gram per cubic centimeter (g/cm³) | Pound per cubic foot (lb/ft³) | 62.428 |
| Pound per cubic foot (lb/ft³) | Kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m³) | 16.0185 |
| Pound per cubic foot (lb/ft³) | Gram per cubic centimeter (g/cm³) | 0.0160185 |
| Pound per gallon (US) (lb/gal) | Kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m³) | 119.8264 |
| Pound per gallon (UK) (lb/gal UK) | Kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m³) | 99.7763 |
| Slug per cubic foot (slug/ft³) | Kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m³) | 515.379 |