⚖️ Weight & mass
1 kg in Pounds
1 kilograms is 2.20 pounds. One kilogram is 2.20462262 lb, the exact figure since the 1959 international agreement, so the answer is a single multiplication.
The short answer
1 kg = 2.20 lb
That is 0.2 stone, or 2 lb rounded to the nearest pound.
About 1 kg in pounds
1 kg is 2.20 lb because the international avoirdupois pound is exactly 0.45359237 kg, so a kilogram is 2.20462262 lb. Multiplying is safer than dividing: 1 × 2.20462262 = 2.20, whereas using ÷ 0.45359 adds a second rounding.
In Britain, body weight is quoted in stones and pounds on a bathroom scale but in kilograms in a clinic, so this conversion gets used twice. 1 kg is 0.2 stone, which is how it would be said aloud, and 2.20 lb is what a fitness app will show.
The common shortcut of doubling and adding 10% gives 2.2 lb for 1 kg — within 1% at this size, which is fine for a suitcase and not fine for a shipping manifest. Use the full factor wherever money or a limit depends on the answer.
1 kg is also 1,000 g and 2.20 lb, and a scale that reads in stones shows 0.2 st. The three readings describe one weight, so when a delivery note, a gym app and a customs form disagree by a pound, the difference is rounding rather than an error.
Written without units, 1 kg in pounds is 2.20, and the nearest whole pound is 2 lb. Quoting the whole number is fine for luggage and body weight; keep the decimal for a shipping document or a prescription.
How the calculation works
- 1 kg × 2.20462262 = 2.20 lb
- 2 lb ÷ 2.20462262 = 0.91 kg
- 1 kg ÷ 6.35029318 = 0.16 stone
Reference values
| Kilograms | Pounds (2 dp) | Pounds (whole) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 kg | 2.20 lb | 2 lb |
| 2 kg | 4.41 lb | 4 lb |
| 3 kg | 6.61 lb | 7 lb |
| 4 kg | 8.82 lb | 9 lb |
| 5 kg | 11.02 lb | 11 lb |
| 6 kg | 13.23 lb | 13 lb |