Pounds to Ounces Converter

The converter above is already set to pounds and ounces, so you only need to enter your number. The result updates as you type, and nothing is sent anywhere.

1. Type your value in the Value box, for example 2. Decimals and negative numbers are accepted.
2. Check that From shows pounds and To shows ounces. Both menus can be changed if you need a different pair.
3. Read the answer in the large result box. The note under it shows the exact factor used for one pound.
4. Press Copy result to put the answer on your clipboard, or Swap units to convert in the opposite direction.
5. Look at In every unit on the right to see the same amount in all the other weight units.

One pound is exactly 16 ounces, so the formula is ounces = pounds x 16. Going the other way, one ounce is exactly 0.0625 pounds. The pound is defined as exactly 0.45359237 kilograms, and the abbreviation lb comes from the Latin word libra. An avoirdupois ounce is one sixteenth of a pound, which is 28.349523125 grams.

Worked examples with the same factor:

• 2 pounds: 2 x 16 = 32 ounces
• 5 pounds: 5 x 16 = 80 ounces
• 20 pounds: 20 x 16 = 320 ounces

Multiply by 16: 2 pounds is 32 ounces.

To check the converter by hand, take 5 pounds and apply the rule once: the result should be 80 ounces. If you go back again with the reverse factor 0.0625 you land on 5 pounds, which confirms that the two directions agree. Rounding the factor to fewer digits for mental math gives a result that is close but not identical, so use the tool when the last digits matter.

These reference values come from the same factor the converter uses, so they match what you see above. Use the table for common amounts, and the converter for anything else.

Pounds, ounces and stone belong to the avoirdupois system, while grams and kilograms belong to the metric system. Since 1959 the pound has been defined as exactly 0.45359237 kilograms in the United States and the Commonwealth, so conversions are exact rather than approximate. Shops, gyms, airlines and doctors each pick one system, which is why people switch between them so often.

Use the table as a sanity check rather than a substitute for the converter. The result must scale with the input: double the weight and the converted figure doubles. For anything that matters, such as a medicine dose or a shipping charge, read the unit printed on the scale or label first, because the same number means very different things in each system.

Postage, produce, baby weights and recipes switch between pounds and ounces.

Do not mix up the UK stone, the US ton and the metric tonne when reading older sources, and remember that body weight in stone is usually written as stone and pounds, such as 11 stone 6, not as a decimal.

Related pages: Ounces to Pounds Converter for the reverse direction, and the kilograms to grams and pounds to kilograms pages. For other weight units use the weight converter.

The page keeps no history, so each visit starts again from the defaults, 2 pounds. Your numbers are processed by JavaScript in your own browser and are never sent to a server, which makes the converter safe for private figures such as medical, financial or work measurements.