Viscosity Calculator

Convert between dynamic and kinematic viscosity and common industrial units.

About Viscosity Calculator

Dynamic viscosity measures resistance to shear; dividing by density gives kinematic viscosity, which is what appears in the Reynolds number. Water at room temperature is about 1 cP and 1 cSt. Lubricant grades are quoted in centistokes while process calculations use pascal seconds, so converting correctly matters.

Formula

Viscosity

ν = μ ÷ ρ

μ: Dynamic viscosity in pascal seconds
ν: Kinematic viscosity in square metres per second

Worked example

With the default values below, Viscosity Calculator returns Kinematic Viscosity of 0.000001000. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Dynamic viscosityminimum 0 Pa s: 0.001 Pa s
Fluid densityminimum 0.01 kg/m3: 1,000 kg/m3

Results

Kinematic Viscosity: 0.000001000 m2/s
Dynamic Viscosity: 1.0000 cP
Kinematic Viscosity: 1.0000 cSt
Dynamic Viscosity: 0.010000 P
Kinematic Viscosity: 0.010000 St

Step by step

1Values used
2Viscosity
3Kinematic Viscosity= 0.000001000 m2/s
4Dynamic Viscosity= 1.0000 cP
5Kinematic Viscosity= 1.0000 cSt
6Dynamic Viscosity= 0.010000 P
7Kinematic Viscosity= 0.010000 St

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 9 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 Viscosity calculated?

ν = μ ÷ ρ Dynamic viscosity measures resistance to shear; dividing by density gives kinematic viscosity, which is what appears in the Reynolds number. Water at room temperature is about 1 cP and 1 cSt.

Why does Viscosity matter?

Lubricant grades are quoted in centistokes while process calculations use pascal seconds, so converting correctly matters.

What values do I need to enter?

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