To convert kilograms to pounds, multiply the kilograms by 2.20462. To go the other way, divide pounds by the same number. So 80 kg is 80 × 2.20462 = about 176.4 pounds. The weight converter does it instantly and shows grams, ounces and stone too.
That is the rule. Here is the reasoning and a shortcut you can use in your head.
Why the factor is what it is
A pound is defined as exactly 0.45359237 kilograms. Turn that around and one kilogram is about 2.20462 pounds. Like the inch, it is a fixed definition, so the conversion is exact and only rounded for display. Every related unit follows from it: an ounce is a sixteenth of a pound, and a stone is fourteen pounds.
How to convert kg to pounds
Convert kilograms to pounds
Multiply by 2.20462.
- 1 kg × 2.20462 = 2.2 lb
- 50 kg × 2.20462 = 110.2 lb
Convert pounds to kilograms
Divide by 2.20462.
- 150 lb ÷ 2.20462 = 68.0 kg
- 10 lb ÷ 2.20462 = 4.54 kg
The weight converter does both directions and the other units in one go.
A quick mental shortcut
To estimate kilograms to pounds, double the number and add about ten percent. So 60 kg is roughly 120 plus 12, which is 132 pounds. The exact answer is 132.3, so the shortcut is very close. It works because 2.2 is two plus a tenth.
A note on stone
In the UK and Ireland, body weight is often given in stone and pounds rather than kilograms or pounds alone. One stone is 14 pounds, or about 6.35 kilograms. So 11 stone 4 means 11 × 14 + 4 = 158 pounds, which is about 71.7 kilograms. The converter handles stone directly if that is the unit you have.
Where it matters
This conversion comes up constantly: gym equipment and weight plates labelled in one system, luggage limits in another, recipes and parcels that mix the two, and health charts that assume kilograms or pounds depending on where they were made. For anything where the exact number counts, use the precise factor rather than the estimate.
To convert heights and distances the same way, see the length converter.