What is a density unit converter?

A density unit converter is a tool that transforms measurements between different units of density, such as kilograms per cubic meter, grams per cubic centimeter, and pounds per cubic foot. It's essential for chemistry, physics, material science, and engineering applications.

What is density and how is it measured?

Density is mass per unit volume, typically expressed as kg/m³ or g/cm³. It's measured by dividing an object's mass by its volume. For liquids, hydrometers measure density directly. For solids, water displacement methods (Archimedes' principle) are commonly used.

Where is density measurement used?

Density measurements are crucial in material science (identifying metals and alloys), chemistry (solution concentrations), geology (mineral identification), food science (quality control), petroleum industry (API gravity), and quality control in manufacturing.

What are the most common density units?

Common density units include kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m³) for SI applications, grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm³) in chemistry, pounds per cubic foot (lb/ft³) in US construction, and grams per milliliter (g/mL) for liquids.

How does temperature affect density?

Temperature changes cause materials to expand or contract, altering density. Most substances decrease in density when heated. Water is unusual—it's densest at 4°C (39.2°F) and becomes less dense as it freezes, which is why ice floats.

What is specific gravity?

Specific gravity is the ratio of a substance's density to water's density (1 g/cm³). It's dimensionless and convenient for comparing densities. A specific gravity greater than 1 means the substance sinks in water; less than 1 means it floats.

How do I convert g/cm³ to kg/m³?

To convert grams per cubic centimeter to kilograms per cubic meter, multiply by 1,000. For example, water at 1 g/cm³ equals 1,000 kg/m³. This is because there are 1,000 grams in a kilogram and 1,000,000 cm³ in a m³.

What is bulk density?

Bulk density measures the mass of particles divided by the total volume they occupy, including air gaps. It's lower than true density and is important for granular materials, soils, powders, and shipping calculations.

Why is density important in floating and sinking?

Objects float when their average density is less than the fluid they're in. Ships float because their hull encloses air, making overall density less than water. Submarines adjust density by filling or emptying ballast tanks.

API gravity is a petroleum industry scale that measures how heavy crude oil is compared to water. Higher API gravity means lighter oil. It's calculated from specific gravity: API = (141.5/SG) - 131.5. Light crude has API > 31.1, heavy crude < 22.3.

Density Unit Converter

Convert between different density units like kilograms/liter, tonnes/cubic meter...etc

Density is a fundamental physical property that relates mass to volume, telling us how tightly matter is packed in a given space. From determining whether an object will float to identifying unknown materials, density plays a crucial role in science and industry. Our converter handles metric units (g/cm³, kg/m³), imperial units (lb/ft³, lb/gal), and specialized units used in various industries.

History & Background

Archimedes discovered the principle of buoyancy around 250 BCE when asked to determine if a crown was pure gold. He realized that density could identify materials. The metric system standardized density measurement with grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm³), which conveniently makes water's density approximately 1. The SI unit kg/m³ is now standard, though g/cm³ remains popular in chemistry due to its intuitive scale.

How to Convert

g/cm³ to kg/m³

kg/m³ = g/cm³ × 1,000

Multiply grams per cubic centimeter by 1,000 to get kilograms per cubic meter.

Example: 1 g/cm³ × 1,000 = 1,000 kg/m³

lb/ft³ to kg/m³

kg/m³ = lb/ft³ × 16.0185

Multiply pounds per cubic foot by 16.0185 to get kilograms per cubic meter.

Example: 62.4 lb/ft³ × 16.0185 = 999.6 kg/m³ (water)

Density Formula

ρ = m / V

Density (ρ) equals mass (m) divided by volume (V).

Example: 500 g / 250 cm³ = 2 g/cm³

Specific Gravity to Density

ρ = SG × ρ_water

Multiply specific gravity by water's density to get absolute density.

Example: SG 0.8 × 1 g/cm³ = 0.8 g/cm³

Real-World Examples

Pure Water

Water at 4°C has a density of exactly 1 gram per cubic centimeter.

1 g/cm³=1,000 kg/m³

Gold

Gold is one of the densest elements, making it easy to identify.

19.32 g/cm³=19,320 kg/m³

Human Body

The average human body has a density close to water, about 1.01 g/cm³.

1.01 g/cm³=63.1 lb/ft³

Aluminum

Aluminum is lightweight yet strong, widely used in aerospace.

2.7 g/cm³=168.6 lb/ft³

Gasoline

Gasoline is less dense than water, which is why it floats on water.

0.75 g/cm³=750 kg/m³

Concrete

Standard concrete has a density about 2.4 times that of water.

2,400 kg/m³=150 lb/ft³

Did You Know?

•Osmium is the densest naturally occurring element at 22.59 g/cm³—about twice as dense as lead and almost as dense as a neutron star's outer crust.
•The density of air at sea level is only about 1.225 kg/m³, which is why we don't notice its weight even though the atmosphere presses on us with 101 kPa.
•Black holes have such extreme density that a teaspoon of neutron star material would weigh about 6 billion tons on Earth.
•Aerogel, the lightest solid material, has a density as low as 1.9 kg/m³—only 1.5 times denser than air while still being a solid.
•Dead Sea water is so dense (1.24 g/cm³ due to dissolved salts) that humans float effortlessly without any swimming effort.

Density conversion table

1 kg/l = 70156 gr/gal	1 kilograms-liter equals 70156 grains-gallon (UK)	1 * 70156 = X gr/gal
1 kg/l = 58418 gr/gal	1 kilograms-liter equals 58418 grainsgallon (US)	1 * 58418 = X gr/gal
1 kg/l = 1 g/cm³	1 kilograms-liter equals 1 grams-cubic centimeters	1 * 1 = X g/cm³
1 kg/l = 1000 g/l	1 kilograms-liter equals 1000 grams-liter	1 * 1000 = X g/l
1 kg/l = 1 g/ml	1 kilograms-liter equals 1 grams-milliliters	1 * 1 = X g/ml
1 kg/l = 1000 kg/m³	1 kilograms-liter equals 1000 kilograms-cubic meters	1 * 1000 = X kg/m³
1 kg/l = 1 Mg/m³	1 kilograms-liter equals 1 megagrams-cubic meter	1 * 1 = X Mg/m³
1 kg/l = 1000 mg/ml	1 kilograms-liter equals 1000 milligrams-milliliter	1 * 1000 = X mg/ml
1 kg/l = 1000000 mg/l	1 kilograms-liter equals 1000000 milligrams-liter	1 * 1000000 = X mg/l
1 kg/l = 0.5780366721308782 oz/in³	1 kilograms-liter equals 0.5780366721308782 ounces-cubic inch	1 * 0.5780366721308782 = X oz/in³
1 kg/l = 160.35861317381284 oz/gal	1 kilograms-liter equals 160.35861317381284 ounces-gallon (UK)	1 * 160.35861317381284 = X oz/gal
1 kg/l = 133.52646601377566 oz/gal	1 kilograms-liter equals 133.52646601377566 ounces-gallon (US)	1 * 133.52646601377566 = X oz/gal
1 kg/l = 0.036127292927027495 lb/in³	1 kilograms-liter equals 0.036127292927027495 pounds-cubic inch	1 * 0.036127292927027495 = X lb/in³
1 kg/l = 62.427962033560895 lb/ft³	1 kilograms-liter equals 62.427962033560895 pounds-cubic foot	1 * 62.427962033560895 = X lb/ft³
1 kg/l = 10.022412821119485 lb/gal	1 kilograms-liter equals 10.022412821119485 pounds-gallon (UK)	1 * 10.022412821119485 = X lb/gal
1 kg/l = 8.345404474089843 lb/gal	1 kilograms-liter equals 8.345404474089843 pounds-gallon (US)	1 * 8.345404474089843 = X lb/gal
1 kg/l = 1.9405497748350349 slug/ft³	1 kilograms-liter equals 1.9405497748350349 slugs-cubic foot	1 * 1.9405497748350349 = X slug/ft³
1 kg/l = 1 t/m³	1 kilograms-liter equals 1 tonnes-cubic meter	1 * 1 = X t/m³
1 kg/l = 0.7524798817279813 tonsUK/yd³	1 kilograms-liter equals 0.7524798817279813 tons (UK)-cubic yard	1 * 0.7524798817279813 = X tonsUK/yd³
1 kg/l = 0.8427774674338713 tonsUS/yd³	1 kilograms-liter equals 0.8427774674338713 tons (US)-cubic yard	1 * 0.8427774674338713 = X tonsUS/yd³

F.A.Q. - Frequently Asked Questions

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