Convert dynamic viscosity units — Pascal-second, Poise, centipoise, lb/(ft·s) and more.
| Unit | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Pa·s | Pascal-second | 0.001 |
| P | Poise | 0.01 |
| lb/(ft·s) | Pound/(Foot·Second) | 0.00067197076 |
| kg/(m·s) | Kilogram/(Meter·Second) | 0.001 |
| mPa·s | Millipascal-second | 1 |
Formula: lb/(ft·s) = Centipoise × 0.000672
Multiply any Centipoise value by 0.000672 to get lb/(ft·s).
Reverse: Centipoise = lb/(ft·s) × 1488
Water reference (20°C): 1.002 cP = 0.0006733 lb/(ft·s)
Values at ~20°C unless noted. Factor: 1 cP = 0.000672 lb/(ft·s)
| Centipoise (cP) | lb/(ft·s) (lb/(ft·s)) | Fluid |
|---|---|---|
| 0.018 cP | 1.210e-05 lb/(ft·s) | Air (20°C) |
| 1.002 cP | 0.0006733 lb/(ft·s) | Water (20°C) |
| 1.2 cP | 0.0008064 lb/(ft·s) | Ethanol |
| 3.5 cP | 0.002352 lb/(ft·s) | Blood (37°C) |
| 65 cP | 0.04368 lb/(ft·s) | SAE 10W motor oil |
| 84 cP | 0.05645 lb/(ft·s) | Olive oil |
| 200 cP | 0.1344 lb/(ft·s) | Maple syrup |
| 300 cP | 0.2016 lb/(ft·s) | SAE 30 motor oil |
| 5000 cP | 3.36 lb/(ft·s) | Honey |
| 5e+04 cP | 33.6 lb/(ft·s) | Ketchup |
| 1e+05 cP | 67.2 lb/(ft·s) | Molten glass (700°C) |
| 2.5e+05 cP | 168 lb/(ft·s) | Peanut butter |
| 3e+07 cP | 2.016e+04 lb/(ft·s) | Tar (room temp) |
| 2.300e+11 cP | 1.546e+08 lb/(ft·s) | Pitch (20°C) |
cP ÷ 1,488 = lb/(ft·s). Round to ÷ 1,489.
1,488 cP = 1 lb/(ft·s). Water = 0.000672 lb/(ft·s).
lb/(ft·s) × 1,488 = cP.
Specifies oil viscosity in cP or mPa·s for formulation and quality control of lubricants.
Uses Pa·s and cP for pipeline flow calculations, pump design, and mixing operations.
Measures sauce, syrup, and dough viscosity in cP for texture optimization and process control.
Controls drug formulation viscosity in mPa·s for injectables, topical creams, and oral suspensions.
Specifies paint, ink, and adhesive viscosity in cP for application equipment compatibility.
Characterizes polymer melt viscosity in Pa·s for extrusion and injection molding process design.
The centipoise (cP) equals 0.01 Poise = 0.001 Pa·s = 1 mPa·s. It is the dominant dynamic viscosity unit in industry because water at 20°C ≈ 1.002 cP — making it the most intuitive reference. The cP is numerically identical to mPa·s.
cP is used universally in lubricant specifications, food processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, coating technology, and chemical engineering. Ink viscosity: 10–50 cP; blood: 3–4 cP; olive oil: 80–84 cP; maple syrup: 150–300 cP; honey: 2,000–10,000 cP.
Interesting fact: The viscosity of blood (3–4 cP) being about 3–4× that of water is critical to cardiovascular physiology. Conditions like polycythemia (excess red blood cells) can raise blood viscosity to 8–10 cP, significantly increasing the workload on the heart.
Pound per foot per second (lb/(ft·s)) is the Imperial dynamic viscosity unit, equal to 1.48816 Pa·s. It is rarely used in modern practice but appears in older US engineering handbooks and some aerospace fluid specifications in the foot-pound-second system.
Water at 20°C ≈ 0.000672 lb/(ft·s). Air at 20°C ≈ 1.21×10⁻⁵ lb/(ft·s). The poundal-second per square foot (pdl·s/ft²) is sometimes confused with lb/(ft·s) — they differ by a factor of 32.174 (g). Most US engineering now uses cP even in Imperial contexts.
Interesting fact: Viscosity in Imperial units involves multiple conventions that confuse even experienced engineers. The slug/(ft·s) = 47.88 Pa·s is the viscosity unit consistent with pound-force; lb/(ft·s) uses pound-mass. These give numerically different values for the same fluid.
Dynamic viscosity measures a fluid's resistance to flow. The SI unit is Pa·s (= kg/(m·s)); cP and mPa·s are numerically identical and most widely used; P (Poise) is the CGS unit. Key anchor: water at 20°C ≈ 1 cP = 1 mPa·s = 0.001 Pa·s = 0.01 P.
Exact factor: 1 cP = 0.000672 lb/(ft·s). Reverse: 1 lb/(ft·s) = 1488 cP.
All conversions use IEEE 754 double-precision arithmetic, accurate to at least 8 significant figures.