Viscosity Unit Converter
Convert engineering quantities quickly and consistently.
Quick Access:
Manual Conversion Shortcut
Select units to view formula.
Equivalent Units
Select a quantity to see equivalents.
Standard Reference Tables
SI System
| SI Unit | Equivalent |
|---|---|
| 1 Pa·s | 1 kg/(m·s) = 1 (N·s)/m² |
| 1 mPa·s | 0.001 Pa·s |
FPS System
| FPS Unit | Equivalent |
|---|---|
| 1 lb/(ft·s) | 1.48816 Pa·s |
| 1 lb/(ft·hr) | 0.000413 Pa·s |
CGS System
| CGS Unit | Equivalent |
|---|---|
| 1 Poise (P) | 1 g/(cm·s) = 0.1 Pa·s |
| 1 Centipoise (cP) | 0.01 P = 1 mPa·s |
Viscosity
What is Dynamic Viscosity?
Dynamic (or absolute) viscosity is a measure of a fluid's internal resistance to shear flow. It is a critical transport property that defines how "thick" or "runny" a fluid is under specific operating temperatures.
Converting viscosity units is a daily task for process and piping engineers when calculating:
- Pressure Drop: Determining the Reynolds number to calculate friction factors in pipe flow.
- Pump Selection: Derating centrifugal pump performance for highly viscous crude oils or polymers.
- Heat Transfer: Evaluating the Prandtl number for convective heat transfer coefficients.
Common conversions require translating between the metric Centipoise (cP) or Pascal-second (Pa·s) and imperial units like lb/(ft·hr).