Convert Short Ton-Force to Poundal

Convert Short Ton-Force (tf (US)) to Poundal (pdl) instantly and accurately.

Conversion Formula

pdl = tf (US) × 64348.09711

About Short Ton-Force

One short ton-force is the gravitational force on a US short ton (2,000 lb) - exactly 2,000 lbf ≈ 8,896 N. It is used in heavy US industry for hydraulic press force ratings, forging press capacities, crane lift ratings, and bulldozer drawbar pull. US rigging and lifting equipment is rated in short tons. Caution: short ton-force (8,896 N) vs metric tonne-force (9,807 N) vs long ton-force (9,964 N) introduces up to 12% ambiguity when 'ton capacity' is unqualified - a critical safety distinction. 1 short tf = 2,000 lbf = 2 kip = 8,896.44 N.

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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