My hydraulic system manual lists 100 kgf. How do I express that in dynes for inclusion in a CGS-unit physics paper?

100 × 980,665 = 98,066,500 dynes. Note that CGS papers will expect this as '9.807 × 10⁷ dynes' in scientific notation — use that form in the paper.

Is there any modern research field where kgf-to-dynes conversion appears regularly?

Rarely. Historical seismology uses dyne·cm for seismic moment, and some surface chemistry papers still reference dynes/cm surface tension. In both cases, you'd more commonly convert kgf to newtons first, then to dynes.

Is kilogram-force (kgf) the same as kilogram (kg)?

No. Kilogram is mass; kilogram-force is the gravitational force of that mass at Earth's surface (1 kgf = 9.807 N). They're numerically equal only on Earth and only in the informal sense that a scale showing '5 kg' means '5 kgf of force is pushing down.'

Why is the conversion factor exactly 980,665?

By definition, standard gravity g = 9.80665 m/s². Converting to CGS: 9.80665 m/s² × 100 cm/m × 1,000 g/kg = 980,665 cm/s²·g/kg = 980,665 dynes per kgf. It's an exact defined value.

Kilogram-Force (kgf) to Dynes Converter

Enter a value to instantly convert between force units.

From

Precision4 dp

1 Kilogram-Force = 980665 Dyne

Key Formulas

Newton → Pound-Force

lbf = N × 0.224809

Pound-Force → Newton

N = lbf × 4.44822

Kilogram-Force → Newton

N = kgf × 9.80665

Newton → Kilogram-Force

kgf = N × 0.101972

Formula

dynes = kgf × 980665

This conversion is needed by researchers who must translate industrial force data (expressed in kgf in equipment specs or test records) into CGS units for inclusion in legacy scientific databases or historical comparison studies. Surface tension references, materials science archives from before 1980, and some seismological databases still use CGS, and bridging modern industrial kgf readings to that archive requires this factor. For practical engineering, convert to newtons instead.

Source: NIST SP 811, Table B.8

Last reviewed: 2026-06-11 · see our methodology

Frequently Asked Questions

Real-World Examples

One kilogram-force — nearly 1 million dynes, showing immediately why CGS became impractical for engineering-scale forces.

1 kgf = 980665 dyn

A 1 gram-force (0.001 kgf) — 980.7 dynes, the CGS equivalent of the weight of a 1 g calibration mass used in micro-balance calibration.

0.001 kgf = 980.7 dyn

A 5 kgf spring tension in a compression testing jig — nearly 5 million dynes in CGS, as it would appear in a pre-1970s laboratory report.

5 kgf = 4903325 dyn

A 50 kgf hydraulic press force — 49 million dynes, illustrating the scale gap that makes CGS unsuitable for industrial force measurement.

50 kgf = 49033250 dyn

newtons to lbf lbf to newtons kgf to newtons newtons to kgf kn to newtons newtons to kn

Kilogram-Force (kgf) to Dynes Converter

Key Formulas

Formula

Frequently Asked Questions

Real-World Examples

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