Pound-force per square inch

The pound per square inch or, more accurately, pound-force per square inch (symbol: psi or lbf/in² or lbf/in²) is a unit of pressure or of stress based on avoirdupois units. It is the pressure resulting from a force of one pound-force applied to an area of one square inch: 1 psi (6.894757 kPa) : pascal (Pa) is the SI unit of pressure. Other abbreviations are used that append a modifier to "psi". However, the US National Institute of Standards and... more

The pound per square inch or, more accurately, pound-force per square inch (symbol: psi or lbf/in² or lbf/in²) is a unit of pressure or of stress based on avoirdupois units. It is the pressure resulting from a force of one pound-force applied to an area of one square inch: 1 psi (6.894757 kPa) : pascal (Pa) is the SI unit of pressure. Other abbreviations are used that append a modifier to "psi". However, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology recommends that, to avoid confusion, any modifiers be instead applied to the quantity being measured rather than the unit of measure For example, "Pg = 100 psi" rather than "P = 100 psig". Psig (pound-force per square inch gauge) is a unit of pressure relative to the surrounding atmosphere. By contrast, psia (pound-force per square inch absolute) measures pressure relative to a vacuum (such as that in space). At sea level, Earth's atmosphere actually exerts a pressure of 14.7 psi (see below). Humans do not feel this pressure... less