Fluid Pressure Calculator

Calculate pressure from force and area, and convert between common pressure units.

About Fluid Pressure Calculator

Pressure is force per unit area, so the same force produces very different pressures depending on the contact area. The unit conversions matter because engineering practice mixes pascals, bar and psi freely. A small contact area concentrates pressure enormously, which is why a sharp blade cuts and a stiletto heel damages a floor.

Formula

Fluid Pressure

p = F ÷ A

Pa: Pascal, one newton per square metre
bar: 100,000 pascals, close to one atmosphere

Worked example

With the default values below, Fluid Pressure Calculator returns Pressure of 20,000.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Force appliedminimum 0 N: 5,000 N
Areaminimum 0 m2: 0.25 m2

Results

Pressure: 20,000.00 Pa
Pressure: 20.0000 kPa
Pressure: 0.20000 bar
Pressure: 2.9008 psi
Pressure: 0.19738 atm

Step by step

1Values used
2Fluid Pressure
3Pressure= 20,000.00 Pa
4Pressure= 20.0000 kPa
5Pressure= 0.20000 bar
6Pressure= 2.9008 psi
7Pressure= 0.19738 atm

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 2 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 5 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Fluid Pressure calculated?

p = F ÷ A Pressure is force per unit area, so the same force produces very different pressures depending on the contact area. The unit conversions matter because engineering practice mixes pascals, bar and psi freely.

Why does Fluid Pressure matter?

A small contact area concentrates pressure enormously, which is why a sharp blade cuts and a stiletto heel damages a floor.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 2 inputs: Force applied, Area. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.