In 1 poundals there are 0.031081 pound of force. Meanwhile in 1 pound of force there are 32.174041 poundals. Keep reading to learn more about each unit of measure and how they are calculated. Or just use the Pound of force to Poundals calculator above to convert any number.
* Values rounded to 6 decimal places for readability
A poundal (pdl) is a unit of force in the FPS system. It’s defined as the force needed to accelerate 1 pound-mass (lbm) at 1 foot per second squared (ft/s²).
A pound-force (lbf) is also a unit of force, based on standard gravity. The key link is that 1 lbf equals the weight force on 1 lbm under standard gravity, which is 32.174 ft/s².
Use this direct conversion:
Multiply poundals by 0.031081:
Examples:
This conversion works because both units measure force; they just use different definitions of gravity and acceleration.
A poundal (pdl) is a unit of force in the foot-pound-second (FPS) system. It’s defined as the force needed to speed up a 1-pound mass by 1 foot per second squared. Poundals show up in older physics texts and some engineering notes.
Pound-force (lbf) is a unit of force based on weight under standard gravity. 1 lbf is the force that gravity applies to a 1-pound mass at standard Earth gravity. In the US, lbf is common in mechanical work, load ratings, and basic force problems.
The standard conversion is:
So poundals are smaller than pound-force. You need many poundals to make 1 lbf.
Use this formula:
Example:
For quick estimates, some people use 32.2 instead of 32.174.
32.174 comes from standard gravity in FPS units. Standard gravity is 32.174 ft/s². Since poundal is tied to ft/s², and pound-force is tied to standard gravity, that value links the two units.
A poundal is a unit of force, not mass. It’s easy to mix up terms in the FPS system because “pound” can mean mass (lbm) or force (lbf) depending on context.
In many problems, pdl connects cleanly to F = m·a when mass is in lbm and acceleration is in ft/s².
Not directly. lb often means pound-mass (lbm), which is mass, not force. Poundals convert to pound-force (lbf), which is force. If you’re working with weight, use lbf.
If you use standard gravity, the conversion stays the same: 1 lbf = 32.174 pdl. Real gravity changes slightly by location, but lbf is defined using standard gravity, so most conversions use 32.174.
Using 32.2 is fine for rough work. The difference is small:
For lab work, detailed engineering, or tight tolerances, use 32.174.
That means a poundal is about 3.11% of a pound-force.
So 1 lbf equals a little over 32 poundals.
The Calculate Box tool to convert poundals to pound of force uses the open source script Convert.js to convert units of measurement. To use this tool, simply type a poundals value in the box and have it instantly converted to pound of force.