Convert Kip to Poundal

Convert Kip (kip) to Poundal (pdl) instantly and accurately.

Conversion Formula

pdl = kip × 32174.04856

About Kip

One kip (kilo-pound) is exactly 1,000 lbf - approximately 4,448 N. It is the primary force unit in US structural engineering: AISC and ACI 318 specify column loads, beam reactions, and connection capacities in kips and kip·ft or kip·in. 'ksi' (kips per square inch) gives steel yield strength - ASTM A36 yields at 36 ksi; A992/A572 at 50 ksi. Crane capacities, prestressed concrete jacking forces, and soil bearing limits in US geotechnical practice are all in kips. 1 kip = 1,000 lbf = 4,448.22 N = 453.59 kgf.

About Poundal

The poundal (pdl) is the force unit of the foot-pound-second absolute system - the force to accelerate 1 pound at 1 ft/s² - approximately 0.1383 N. Introduced in 1877 by Thomson and Tait as the FPS analogue of the CGS dyne (1 dyn = 1 g·cm/s²; 1 pdl = 1 lb·ft/s²). The poundal is distinct from pound-force: since standard gravity = 32.174 ft/s², 1 lbf = 32.174 pdl. It survives in older British engineering texts and early 20th-century thermodynamics literature, but is otherwise obsolete. 1 pdl = 0.138254954376 N = 1/32.174 lbf.

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