Convert dynamic viscosity units — Pascal-second, Poise, centipoise, lb/(ft·s) and more.
| Unit | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Pa·s | Pascal-second | 1.48816 |
| P | Poise | 14.8816 |
| cP | Centipoise | 1488.16 |
| kg/(m·s) | Kilogram/(Meter·Second) | 1.48816 |
| mPa·s | Millipascal-second | 1488.16 |
Formula: Centipoise = lb/(ft·s) × 1488
Multiply any lb/(ft·s) value by 1488 to get Centipoise.
Reverse: lb/(ft·s) = Centipoise × 0.000672
Water reference (20°C): 0.0006733 lb/(ft·s) = 1.002 cP
Values at ~20°C unless noted. Factor: 1 lb/(ft·s) = 1488 cP
| lb/(ft·s) (lb/(ft·s)) | Centipoise (cP) | Fluid |
|---|---|---|
| 1.210e-05 lb/(ft·s) | 0.018 cP | Air (20°C) |
| 0.0006733 lb/(ft·s) | 1.002 cP | Water (20°C) |
| 0.0008064 lb/(ft·s) | 1.2 cP | Ethanol |
| 0.002352 lb/(ft·s) | 3.5 cP | Blood (37°C) |
| 0.04368 lb/(ft·s) | 65 cP | SAE 10W motor oil |
| 0.05645 lb/(ft·s) | 84 cP | Olive oil |
| 0.1344 lb/(ft·s) | 200 cP | Maple syrup |
| 0.2016 lb/(ft·s) | 300 cP | SAE 30 motor oil |
| 3.36 lb/(ft·s) | 5000 cP | Honey |
| 33.6 lb/(ft·s) | 5e+04 cP | Ketchup |
| 67.2 lb/(ft·s) | 1e+05 cP | Molten glass (700°C) |
| 168 lb/(ft·s) | 2.5e+05 cP | Peanut butter |
| 2.016e+04 lb/(ft·s) | 3e+07 cP | Tar (room temp) |
| 1.546e+08 lb/(ft·s) | 2.300e+11 cP | Pitch (20°C) |
lb/(ft·s) × 1,488 = cP.
1 lb/(ft·s) = 1,488 cP = 1.489 Pa·s.
cP ÷ 1,488 = lb/(ft·s).
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.
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.
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.
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 lb/(ft·s) = 1488 cP. Reverse: 1 cP = 0.000672 lb/(ft·s).
All conversions use IEEE 754 double-precision arithmetic, accurate to at least 8 significant figures.