Metric Conversions: Pressure

Pressure is another complicated measurement. Pressure is described as a force or weight applied to a given area. Our common unit is pounds per square inch. Metric units can be expressed in several ways. One is the kilogram per square centimeter (kg/cm² ). Another unit of pressure is the Pascal (force of one Newton on an area of one square meter), which equals about 4 ounces on a square yard. Since this is a very small amount of pressure, we usually see the kiloPascal, or kPa (1000 Pascals). Another common automotive term for pressure is the bar (used by German manufacturers), which equals 10 Pascals. Thoroughly confused? Try the examples below:

• Atmospheric pressure at sea level is about 14.7 psi.
• Atmospheric pressure at sea level is about 1 bar.
• Atmospheric pressure at sea level is about 1 kg/cm² .
• One pound per square inch is about 7 kPa.