Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Convert kilograms to pounds
• Method 2 of 2: Convert other metric weight units (grams, milligrams, etc.) to pounds
• Tips

The metric system is the most common measurement system in the world, but it is not the only one. Several countries, including the United States, use pounds rather than grams as the unit of weight. However, the metric system is so simple that you can easily convert metric weight units to pounds.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Convert kilograms to pounds

1. 1 Remember that every kilogram is converted to 2.2 pounds. That is, 1 kg = 2.2 lbs. This means 2kg = 4.4lbs, 3kg = 6.6lbs, and so on.
   • 1 kg * 2.2 (lb / kg) = 2.2 lb.
   • Here, kg is kilograms.
2. 2 Multiply your weight in kilograms by 2.2 to calculate your weight in pounds. Since each kilogram is equal to 2.2 pounds, simply multiply the number of kilograms by the number shown to find the number of pounds:
   • 100 kg = 2.2 (lb / kg) * 100 kg = 220 lb
   • 38 kg = 2.2 (lb / kg) * 38 kg = 83.6 lb.
   • 69.42 kg = 2.2 (lb / kg) * 69.42 kg = 152.724 lb.
3. 3 Perform a more accurate conversion. In fact, one kilogram is slightly heavier than 2.2 pounds. But the difference is so small that it can be neglected in everyday life. If the accuracy of the calculation is important, for example, in chemical reactions, use a more accurate multiplier:
   • 1 kg = 2.20462 lbs
4. 4 Convert kilograms to pounds in your head. Can you quickly convert 78.4 kilograms to pounds? The following methods will give you an approximate value, but remember that it is not exact.
   • A method for rounding numbers up and down. Round the numbers so that you can easily multiply them to get the most approximate value. For this example, round off 78.4 kg to 80 kg and 2.2 lb / kg to 2 lb / kg:
     • Approximate calculation: 80 kg * 2 lb / kg = 160 lb.
   • Method of two decimal fractions. remember, that ${ displaystyle 78.4 * 2.2 = (78.4 * 2) + (78.4 * 0.2)}$... It is still quite difficult to do this in your head, so round 78.4 to the nearest whole number to get (78 * 2) + (78 * 0.2). Multiply 78 by 2 to get 156. For the second pair of parentheses, use the same value (156), but move the decimal point one place to the left, that is, convert 156 to 15.6. Then add the two values.
     • Approximate calculation: (78 * 2) + (78 * 0.2) = 156 + (156 * 0.1) = 156 + 15.6 = 171.6 lbs
   • Exact calculation (for comparison): 78.4 kg * 2.2 lb / kg = 172.48 lb.

Method 2 of 2: Convert other metric weight units (grams, milligrams, etc.) to pounds

1. 1 Convert one metric weight unit to another that represents the number 10 to a certain extent. The basic metric unit of measure for weight is gram (g). All other metric weight units are grams multiplied by 10 to a certain extent, which is described by the prefix. For example, "kilo" means 1000, and a kilogram is equal to 1000 grams; “Milli” means 1/1000, so each milligram (mg) is equal to one thousandth of a gram (that is, 1000 milligrams = 1 gram).
   • 1 kg = 1000 g
   • 1 mg = ${ displaystyle { frac {1} {1000}}}$ r = 0.001 g
   • In this article, decimal fractions are written with a decimal point (keep in mind that decimal fractions are written with a decimal point in English literature).
2. 2 Convert weight to kilograms by moving the decimal point in the appropriate direction. You do not need to perform arithmetic operations to convert one metric weight unit to another. Instead, move the decimal point one space to the left to divide by 10, or one space to the right to multiply by 10. For example:
   • To convert 450 grams to kilograms, first remember that 1000 grams = 1 kg, so 1 gram = ${ displaystyle { frac {1} {1000}}}$ kg = 0.001 kg.
   • To quickly convert 1 g to 0.001 kg, move the decimal point three positions to the left (1 → 0.1 → 0.01 → 0.001).
   • Follow the same steps to convert 450 grams to kilograms: move the decimal point three places to the left and get 0.45. Therefore 450 g = 0.45 kg.
3. 3 Multiply the resulting kilograms by 2.2 to convert them to pounds. After converting grams (milligrams, and so on) to kilograms, follow the steps in the previous section. Just multiply the number of kilograms by 2.2 to convert them to pounds. For our example, do the following: 0.45 kg * 2.2 lb / kg = 0.99 lb. Here's another example to demonstrate the process from start to finish:
   • Convert 3045 g to lbs.
   • First, convert grams to kilograms:
     1 g = 0.001 kg
     3045 g = 3.045 kg
   • Then convert kilograms to pounds:
     1 kg = 2.2 lbs
     3.045 kg * 2.2 lb / kg = 6.699 lb.

Tips

• From July 1, 1959, 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg.
• This means that in 1 kilogram, 1 / 0.45359237 ≈ 2.20462262 pounds.
• Kilograms are referred to as "kg".
• In Russian, pounds do not have an abbreviation.
• If a rounded value (0.45 or 2.2) is used, the deviation from the exact result will not exceed 1%.