What this converter does
This converter turns pressure in kilopascals into metres of water head and back instantly. It also covers feet of water, bar and psi — using the density of water at 4 °C. Type a value, pick your units, and read the result as you type.
One metre of water head equals 9.807 kPa. Head is how pumps and tanks express pressure. For general pressure units, see the bar to psi converter.
The units it covers
Each unit expresses a pressure or its equivalent liquid column, converting through the kilopascal.
View all units & their values
| Unit | Symbol | Value | Mainly used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kilopascal | kPa | 1 | SI pressure |
| Metre of water | m H₂O | 9.80665 | Pump & pipe head |
| Foot of water | ft H₂O | 2.98907 | US head |
| Bar | bar | 100 | Process pressure |
| Pound per square inch | psi | 6.89476 | US pressure |
The formula
Each unit has a fixed value in kilopascals, so pressure and head convert through the kPa once (water at 4 °C):
result = value × factor_from ÷ factor_toWhere:
- value = the number you typed, in the “from” unit
- factor_from = the “from” unit’s value in kilopascals
- factor_to = the “to” unit’s value in kilopascals
Worked example
Convert 100 kPa to metres of water head.
1 m H₂O = 9.80665 kPa100 ÷ 9.80665 = 10.20 mSo 100 kPa is about 10.2 metres of water head.
The units in this example
The SI unit of pressure — one kilonewton per square metre. Standard for water-system pressures worldwide.
- 1 kPa ≈ 0.102 m H₂O
- 1 kPa ≈ 0.335 ft H₂O
- 1 kPa = 0.01 bar
- 1 kPa ≈ 0.145 psi
The height of a water column giving that pressure — how pump duty and static lift are usually stated.
- 1 m H₂O ≈ 9.807 kPa
- 1 m H₂O ≈ 3.281 ft H₂O
- 1 m H₂O ≈ 0.0981 bar
- 1 m H₂O ≈ 1.422 psi