About

Hydraulic systems and older industrial machinery often utilize gauges calibrated in the technical atmosphere unit (kgf/cm²). Modern engineering standards and international trade documentation require the use of the SI unit, the Kilopascal (kPa). This creates a frequent need for precise conversion during maintenance, calibration, or system upgrades.

Accuracy is paramount in high-pressure systems where even minor deviations can indicate leaks or pump failures. This tool utilizes the exact standard gravity definition to perform the conversion. It serves mechanical engineers, technicians, and safety inspectors who need to normalize data from legacy equipment into modern logging systems.

Formulas

The conversion relies on the definition of standard gravity. One kilogram-force is the force exerted by one kilogram of mass in a standard gravitational field.

P_kPa = P_kgf × g_n × 10

Where g_n is the standard acceleration due to gravity, defined exactly as:

1 kgf/cm² = 98.0665 kPa

Reference Data

Pressure (kgf/cm²)	Pressure (kPa)	Typical Application
1	98.07	Atmospheric baseline
2	196.13	Low-pressure pneumatics
2.5	245.17	Car tire (approx)
5	490.33	Light industrial air
10	980.67	Shop air compressor
20	1,961.33	Hydraulic return lines
50	4,903.33	Medium duty hydraulics
100	9,806.65	Heavy machinery
150	14,709.98	Injection molding
200	19,613.30	Presses
250	24,516.63	High-pressure limiting
300	29,419.95	Specialized cutting
350	34,323.28	Testing thresholds
400	39,226.60	Burst testing
500	49,033.25	Extreme hydraulics

Frequently Asked Questions

The kgf/cm² unit, often called the "technical atmosphere" (at), was the standard in many European and Asian countries before the widespread adoption of SI units. Legacy equipment manufactured before the 1990s often retains these markings.

No. While they are close, they are not identical. 1 kgf/cm² equals approximately 0.980665 Bar. For rough estimates, they are treated as equal, but in precision engineering, this 2% difference affects safety margins.

The conversion factor itself (98.0665) is a constant derived from standard gravity and does not change with temperature. However, the fluid pressure inside a closed system will fluctuate with temperature changes due to thermal expansion.

This tool handles any positive rational number. It is optimized for standard industrial ranges (0 to 1000 kgf/cm²) but calculates accurately for any magnitude.