What this converter does
This converter turns kilonewtons per metre into kips per foot and back instantly. It also covers N/m, lb/ft and lb/in — every pair uses an exact fixed factor. Type a value, pick your units, and read the result as you type.
One kip per foot equals 14.594 kN/m. Line loads describe self-weight, floor and wind loads on beams. For a point force, see the kN to kip converter.
The units it covers
Every unit measures a line (distributed) load, converting through the newton-per-metre with a fixed ratio.
View all units & their values
| Unit | Symbol | Value | Mainly used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kilonewton per metre | kN/m | 1000 | SI line load |
| Newton per metre | N/m | 1 | SI base line load |
| Kip per foot | kip/ft | 14593.9 | US line load |
| Pound per foot | lb/ft | 14.5939 | Light US line load |
| Pound per inch | lb/in | 175.127 | US detailing |
The formula
Each unit has a fixed value in newtons per metre, so any conversion goes through the N/m once:
result = value × factor_from ÷ factor_toWhere:
- value = the number you typed, in the “from” unit
- factor_from = the “from” unit’s value in newtons per metre
- factor_to = the “to” unit’s value in newtons per metre
Worked example
Convert 30 kN/m to kip/ft.
1 kip/ft = 14.5939 kN/m30 ÷ 14.5939 = 2.056 kip/ftSo a 30 kN/m line load is about 2.06 kip/ft.
The units in this example
The SI unit of distributed (line) load — a kilonewton spread over each metre of a beam or wall.
- 1 kN/m = 1,000 N/m
- 1 kN/m ≈ 0.06852 kip/ft
- 1 kN/m ≈ 68.52 lb/ft
- 1 kN/m ≈ 5.71 lb/in
A US unit of line load — one kip carried over each foot of span — used for beam and girder loads.
- 1 kip/ft ≈ 14.594 kN/m
- 1 kip/ft = 1,000 lb/ft
- 1 kip/ft ≈ 83.33 lb/in
- 1 kip/ft ≈ 14,593.9 N/m