Converting Pounds Per Square Inch or PSI to Pascals

A barometer hidden among clouds and a sun
Pascals (Pa) and pounds per square inch (PSI) are both units of pressure.

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By
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Chemistry Expert
  • Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
  • B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
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Updated on May 06, 2019

This example problem demonstrates how to convert the pressure unit pounds per square inch (psi) to pascals (Pa).

PSI To Pa Problem

The average air pressure at sea level is 14.6 psi. What is this pressure in Pa?
Solution:
1 psi = 6894.7 Pa
Set up the conversion so the desired unit will be canceled out. In this case, we want Pa to be the remaining unit.
pressure in Pa = (pressure in psi) x (6894.7 Pa/1 psi)
pressure in Pa = (14.6 x 6894.7) Pa
pressure in Pa = 100662.7 Pa
Answer:
The average sea level air pressure is 100662.7 Pa or 1.0 x 105 Pa.

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Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Converting Pounds Per Square Inch or PSI to Pascals." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/pounds-per-square-inch-or-psi-to-pascals-608950. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 26). Converting Pounds Per Square Inch or PSI to Pascals. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/pounds-per-square-inch-or-psi-to-pascals-608950 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Converting Pounds Per Square Inch or PSI to Pascals." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/pounds-per-square-inch-or-psi-to-pascals-608950 (accessed April 19, 2024).