Stress Calculator
Work out stress instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
About Stress Calculator
Direct stress is force divided by the area carrying it, so it is the intensity of internal loading rather than the load itself. 25 kN on 500 mm2 gives 50 MPa - comfortable for structural steel, which yields near 250 MPa, but well past the strength of most plastics.
Formulas
Direct stress
sigma = F / A
Unit relation
1 MPa = 1 N/mm2
Worked example
With the default values below, Stress Calculator returns Stress of 5.0000 × 10⁷. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Axial forceminimum 0 N
- 25,000 N
- Cross-sectional areaminimum 0 m2
- 0.0005 m2
Results
- Stress
- 5.0000 × 10⁷ Pa
- Same Stress In Megapascals
- 50.0000
- Same Stress In ksi
- 7.2519
- Area In Square Millimetres
- 500.00
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Direct stress
- 3Unit relation
- 4Stress= 50,000,000.0000 Pa
- 5Same Stress In Megapascals= 50.0000
- 6Same Stress In ksi= 7.2519
- 7Area In Square Millimetres= 500.00
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 4 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
Why is 1 MPa the same as 1 N/mm2?
Because a megapascal is a million pascals and a square millimetre is a millionth of a square metre, so the factors cancel exactly.
Is this the same as pressure?
Dimensionally yes, but stress is directional and internal to a solid, whereas pressure acts equally in all directions in a fluid.