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: Pascal-second = Centipoise × 0.001
Multiply any Centipoise value by 0.001 to get Pascal-second.
Reverse: Centipoise = Pascal-second × 1000
Water reference (20°C): 1.002 cP = 0.001002 Pa·s
Values at ~20°C unless noted. Factor: 1 cP = 0.001 Pa·s
| Centipoise (cP) | Pascal-second (Pa·s) | Fluid |
|---|---|---|
| 0.018 cP | 1.800e-05 Pa·s | Air (20°C) |
| 1.002 cP | 0.001002 Pa·s | Water (20°C) |
| 1.2 cP | 0.0012 Pa·s | Ethanol |
| 3.5 cP | 0.0035 Pa·s | Blood (37°C) |
| 65 cP | 0.065 Pa·s | SAE 10W motor oil |
| 84 cP | 0.084 Pa·s | Olive oil |
| 200 cP | 0.2 Pa·s | Maple syrup |
| 300 cP | 0.3 Pa·s | SAE 30 motor oil |
| 5000 cP | 5 Pa·s | Honey |
| 5e+04 cP | 50 Pa·s | Ketchup |
| 1e+05 cP | 100 Pa·s | Molten glass (700°C) |
| 2.5e+05 cP | 250 Pa·s | Peanut butter |
| 3e+07 cP | 3e+04 Pa·s | Tar (room temp) |
| 2.300e+11 cP | 2.3e+08 Pa·s | Pitch (20°C) |
cP ÷ 1,000 = Pa·s.
1 cP = 0.001 Pa·s = water. 1,000 cP = 1 Pa·s.
Pa·s × 1,000 = 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.
The pascal-second (Pa·s) is the SI unit of dynamic viscosity, defined as the force per unit area (Pa) times time (s). It equals 1 N·s/m² = 1 kg/(m·s) = 10 Poise. The unit was formalized with the SI system in 1960 and replaced the Poise as the standard.
Pa·s values: water at 20°C = 0.001 Pa·s; honey ≈ 2–10 Pa·s; peanut butter ≈ 250 Pa·s; molten glass ≈ 10,000 Pa·s; pitch (room temperature) ≈ 100 billion Pa·s. In the Pa·s system, water is conveniently close to 0.001 Pa·s = 1 mPa·s = 1 cP.
Interesting fact: The famous pitch drop experiment at the University of Queensland has been running since 1927. Pitch (a form of bitumen) has a viscosity of about 100 billion Pa·s — it drops at a rate of approximately one drop per decade, with only 9 drops having fallen in nearly 100 years.
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 = 0.001 Pa·s. Reverse: 1 Pa·s = 1000 cP.
All conversions use IEEE 754 double-precision arithmetic, accurate to at least 8 significant figures.