Pressure
Convert bar (bar) to megapascal (MPa). Pressure is force per unit area. Process engineers move constantly between SI (kPa, bar) and US (psi) units, and between absolute and gauge.
1 bar = 0.1 MPa
To convert bar to megapascal, multiply the bar value by 0.1. To go the other way, divide by 0.1 (or multiply by 10).
| bar | MPa |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.1 |
| 2 | 0.2 |
| 5 | 0.5 |
| 10 | 1 |
| 25 | 2.5 |
| 50 | 5 |
| 100 | 10 |
| 250 | 25 |
| 500 | 50 |
| 1000 | 100 |
Line and vessel ratings, pump discharge heads, and relief set points are all specified in pressure units — usually psi or barg in the field and kPa in calculations.
Always track whether a value is absolute or gauge: 0 barg equals about 101.3 kPa absolute, and mixing the two is a common and costly error.
Worked example. A pressure of 10 bar is 1 MPa.
Multiply the value in bar by 0.1 to get MPa. For example, 10 bar = 1 MPa.
1 bar equals 0.1 MPa.
Line and vessel ratings, pump discharge heads, and relief set points are all specified in pressure units — usually psi or barg in the field and kPa in calculations.