How this calculator works
A pint is a volume and a pound is a mass, so converting between them requires the density of what fills the pint. Water is about 1,000 kg per cubic metre, so a US pint of water has a mass of 0.473 kg or 1.043 lb. Flour and sugar are much less dense because they contain air between the particles, so a pint of flour is far lighter than a pint of water. The presets are typical bulk densities; how firmly the ingredient is packed changes the real value, and the custom row takes a density from a label or a measurement.
Formula
cubic metres = pints x 0.000473176473 for US pints, or x 0.00056826125 for imperial pints. kilograms = cubic metres x density in kg/m3. pounds = kilograms / 0.45359237. A US pint is 473.176473 mL and an imperial pint is 568.26125 mL.
Worked example
1 US pint of water is 0.473176 kg or 1.04318 lb. 2 US pints of milk at 1,030 kg/m3 is 0.974744 kg or 2.14894 lb. 1 US pint of flour at 530 kg/m3 is 0.250784 kg or 0.552888 lb. 1 imperial pint of water is 0.568261 kg or 1.25280 lb.
Advertisement
Frequently asked questions
Is a pint of water a pound?
In the old saying, a pint of pure water weighs a pound and a quarter. A US pint of water is 1.043 lb and an imperial pint is 1.253 lb, so the saying fits the larger imperial pint, not the US pint.
Why is a pint of flour so much lighter than a pint of water?
Bulk flour is mostly air between particles, with a density near 530 kg/m3 compared with 1,000 kg/m3 for water. Scooped and packed flour can differ by 20 per cent or more, which is why bakers weigh dry ingredients.
Which pint is used here?
Both are in the selector. The US liquid pint is 473.176473 mL and the imperial pint is 568.26125 mL. They differ by about 20 per cent, so the mass changes with the choice.
Can this convert a dry pint?
No. A US dry pint is a different unit used for some produce and is about 550.6 mL. This page uses liquid pints only.