Convert pound-force to kilogram-force

Common force conversion mistakes

• The kilogram is a mass and the newton is a force. A bathroom scale displays kilograms but senses a force, converting for you with the earth's gravity built in. On the moon the same scale would read a sixth, while the mass is exactly the same.
• A pound (lb) and a pound-force (lbf) are not the same thing, although both are spoken as "pounds". The pound is mass, the pound-force is the force that mass produces under standard gravity: 1 lbf = 4.4482216152605 N. Tensile ratings and cable loads are quoted in lbf.
• Kilogram-force and kilonewton sound close but sit a factor of 102 apart: 1 kgf = 9.80665 N while 1 kN = 1000 N. Older European machine plates give force in kp, modern ones in kN.