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The Dynamic Viscosity Converter converts between all major units of dynamic (absolute) viscosity. Dynamic viscosity quantifies a fluid's resistance to flow under an applied shear stress — it is one of the most important properties in fluid mechanics, chemical engineering, petroleum science, and materials processing.
The SI unit is the pascal-second (Pa·s), equivalent to 1 kg/(m·s). The CGS unit is the poise (P), where 1 Pa·s = 10 poise. In practice, the centipoise (cP) and millipascal-second (mPa·s) are the most commonly used units because they are numerically equal and water at 20°C has a viscosity of approximately 1.002 cP = 1.002 mPa·s.
Dynamic viscosity varies enormously across materials: air ≈ 0.018 mPa·s, water ≈ 1 mPa·s, olive oil ≈ 80 mPa·s, honey ≈ 2,000-10,000 mPa·s, peanut butter ≈ 150,000-250,000 mPa·s. These differences determine flow behavior in pipes, pumps, lubrication systems, and industrial processes.
Our converter also supports US customary units (lb/(ft·s) and lb/(ft·h)), which appear in older American engineering handbooks and HVAC calculations. The lb/(ft·s) to Pa·s conversion factor is 1.48816.
The converter normalizes to Pa·s. Key factors: 1 P = 0.1 Pa·s, 1 cP = 0.001 Pa·s = 1 mPa·s, 1 lb/(ft·s) = 1.48816 Pa·s, 1 lb/(ft·h) = 1.48816/3600 Pa·s.
Water at 20°C: 1.002 mPa·s = 0.01002 P = 1.002 cP = 0.001002 Pa·s. Temperature has a strong effect: water at 0°C = 1.793 mPa·s, at 100°C = 0.282 mPa·s. Always specify temperature when reporting viscosity values.
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0.001 Pa·s = 1 cP (water at ~20°C)
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5000 cP = 5 Pa·s (thick honey)
Dynamic viscosity (also called absolute viscosity) measures a fluid's resistance to flow when a force is applied. Higher viscosity means thicker, more resistant to flow (honey vs water).
Dynamic viscosity (Pa·s) measures resistance to flow. Kinematic viscosity (m²/s) = dynamic viscosity / density. Kinematic viscosity accounts for the fluid's density.
Multiply by 10. 1 Pa·s = 10 poise. Example: 0.5 Pa·s = 5 P.
Yes, exactly. 1 cP = 1 mPa·s = 0.001 Pa·s. This equivalence is convenient because water at 20°C ≈ 1 cP ≈ 1 mPa·s.
At 20°C: ~1.002 cP (mPa·s). At 25°C: ~0.89 cP. At 37°C (body temperature): ~0.69 cP. Viscosity decreases significantly with temperature.
SAE 10W-30 oil: ~65-100 cP at 40°C. SAE 5W-20: ~50-70 cP at 40°C. Multi-grade oils are designed to maintain viscosity across temperature ranges.
For liquids: viscosity decreases with temperature (molecules move faster). For gases: viscosity increases with temperature (more molecular collisions). The Arrhenius equation models liquid viscosity vs temperature.
Human blood: ~3-4 cP at 37°C (about 3-4 times more viscous than water). Blood viscosity varies with hematocrit, temperature, and flow rate.
Petroleum (crude oil classification), food processing (consistency), pharmaceutical (drug formulation), automotive (lubricant rating), paint/coatings, polymer processing, and chemical engineering.
Viscometers (for liquids): rotational (Brookfield), capillary (Ubbelohde), falling ball. Rheometers measure viscosity under varying conditions (shear rate, temperature).
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