Convert pressure between bar, psi, MPa, kPa, atm and kgf/cm². Used for hydraulic clamping pressure, coolant lines and air supply specs written in different units.
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Request a Proposal →Pressure conversions fail for one reason: two different units both look like they start with “k”. kPa is a thousand pascals. kgf/cm² — what most shop gauges label as “kg” — is 98.07 kPa, roughly one bar. A hydraulic gauge reading 50 “kg” is 49 bar, not 50 kPa.
| Unit | bar | psi | MPa | kPa | kgf/cm² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bar | 1 | 14.5038 | 0.1 | 100 | 1.01972 |
| 1 psi | 0.0689476 | 1 | 0.00689476 | 6.89476 | 0.0703070 |
| 1 MPa | 10 | 145.038 | 1 | 1000 | 10.1972 |
| 1 kPa | 0.01 | 0.145038 | 0.001 | 1 | 0.0101972 |
| 1 kgf/cm² | 0.980665 | 14.2233 | 0.0980665 | 98.0665 | 1 |
| 1 atm | 1.01325 | 14.6959 | 0.101325 | 101.325 | 1.03323 |
Reference values for common shop systems.
Tool holder and hydraulic chuck catalogues are usually written in MPa, machine gauges in bar, and imperial shops in psi. Clamping force is quoted in kN, not pressure — the two are related through the piston area, so never compare a bar figure with a kN figure directly.
Pressure units vary by industry and region. Coolant systems use bar, hydraulics use psi or MPa, and vacuum systems use kPa. This converter handles all common engineering pressure units.
Bar is standard for coolant pump specifications. Most high-pressure coolant systems are rated in bar (20, 40, 70, 80 bar). Through-tool coolant typically requires 20-80 bar for effective chip evacuation in deep-hole drilling.
Clamping force (N) = pressure (MPa) × piston area (mm²). Example: 5 MPa hydraulic pressure on a 50 mm diameter piston (1,963 mm²) = 9,817 N (≈1,000 kgf) of clamping force. This calculator handles the pressure unit conversion step.
Gauge pressure (barg, psig) is relative to atmospheric pressure. Absolute pressure (bara, psia) includes atmospheric pressure. Gauge = absolute − 1.013 bar at sea level. Almost all shop-floor measurements are gauge pressure.
Enter a value in any of the supported units. The converter displays equivalents in bar, psi, MPa, kPa, atmospheres, and kgf/cm². Use this for coolant system setup, hydraulic pressure checks, and pneumatic system specifications.
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