Kilograms to Pounds
One kilogram is about 2.20462 pounds, so you multiply kilograms by 2.20462 to get pounds: 10 kg is 22.05 lb and 70 kg is 154.32 lb. Enter any weight below for the exact figure.
1 kilogram = 2.20462 pounds
1 kg = 2.20462 lb · multiply by 2.204622622
Kilograms to pounds at a glance
Seven values you meet most often. The tables and the converter handle everything in between.
- 1 kg2.20462 lb
- 2 kg4.40925 lb
- 5 kg11.0231 lb
- 10 kg22.0462 lb
- 20 kg44.0925 lb
- 50 kg110.231 lb
- 100 kg220.462 lb
Where 2.20462 comes from
The pound used for body weight, groceries and luggage is the avoirdupois pound. Under the international yard and pound agreement of 1959 it was fixed at exactly 0.45359237 kg, ending small differences between the British and American pounds. Dividing 1 by 0.45359237 gives 2.2046226218…, which is why the kilograms-to-pounds factor is usually quoted as 2.2046 or 2.205 and never comes out round.
The kilogram itself was redefined in 2019. It used to be the mass of a platinum-iridium cylinder kept near Paris; it is now fixed through the Planck constant, so any well-equipped laboratory can realize it. Because the pound is defined from the kilogram, the change made the pound just as reproducible.
Who weighs in pounds
The United States uses pounds and ounces for almost all everyday weights, from body weight to deli counters, while most of the world uses kilograms. The UK is mixed: food is sold in grams and kilograms, but people often state body weight in stone and pounds, where one stone is 14 lb or 6.35 kg. Gyms everywhere sell plates in both systems, and a 20 kg Olympic bar is 44.1 lb, close to but not the same as a 45 lb bar.
Airlines are the other place the conversion matters. The common 23 kg checked-bag limit is 50.7 lb, which US carriers round down to 50 lb, and 32 kg heavy bags are 70.5 lb. Weigh the bag in whichever unit the airline publishes; rounding the other way at the counter can cost an overweight fee.
Quick mental math and common mistakes
To estimate in your head, double the kilograms and add 10%: 80 kg doubled is 160, plus 16 is 176, against the exact 176.37 lb. Going back, halve the pounds and subtract 10% of the result, or use the pounds to kilograms page.
Two mistakes come up again and again. Dividing by 2.2 instead of multiplying gives a number that is smaller than the kilograms, which can never be right, because a pound is less than half a kilogram. And decimal pounds are not pounds and ounces: 154.3 lb is 154 lb 5 oz, since an ounce is 1/16 of a pound, not a tenth. Other weight pairs, such as grams to ounces and kilograms to stone, are listed in the unit converter.
Frequently asked questions
- How many pounds is 1 kg?
- 1 kg is 2.20462 lb. For most purposes 2.2 is close enough; the error is under 0.25%.
- What is 70 kg in pounds?
- 70 kg is 154.32 lb, or about 154 lb 5 oz. In stone and pounds it is 11 st 0.3 lb.
- Is a pound exactly 0.45359237 kg?
- Yes. The international avoirdupois pound has been defined as exactly 0.45359237 kg since 1959, so the conversion is fixed by law rather than by measurement.
- Is a 23 kg suitcase allowed on a 50 lb limit?
- Usually yes, because airlines that use both units treat them as the same allowance, but 23 kg is actually 50.7 lb. If the airline publishes only the pound figure, keep the bag at or below 22.6 kg to be safe.
- Are troy pounds the same as regular pounds?
- No. The troy pound, used only for precious metals, is 0.3732 kg and has 12 troy ounces. The avoirdupois pound used on this page is 0.4536 kg and has 16 ounces.