Pressure
Convert kilopascal (kPa) 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 kPa = 0.001 MPa
To convert kilopascal to megapascal, multiply the kPa value by 0.001. To go the other way, divide by 0.001 (or multiply by 1000).
| kPa | MPa |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.001 |
| 2 | 0.002 |
| 5 | 0.005 |
| 10 | 0.01 |
| 25 | 0.025 |
| 50 | 0.05 |
| 100 | 0.1 |
| 250 | 0.25 |
| 500 | 0.5 |
| 1000 | 1 |
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 1000 kPa is 1 MPa.
Multiply the value in kPa by 0.001 to get MPa. For example, 10 kPa = 0.01 MPa.
1 kPa equals 0.001 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.