Pounds to Grams Converter
Pounds-to-grams is the conversion American cooks need when adapting a recipe that specifies 'a pound of ground beef' or 'a pound of butter' to the gram measures of European or Japanese cookbooks. The conversion is exact: one pound equals 453.592 grams under the 1959 international yard-and-pound agreement. Most home cooks know that a pound is roughly 450 grams, but the precise figure is what serious bakers, charcuterie makers, and anyone working in technical cooking want.
Calculator
1 × 453.592 = 453.5920
Formula
Multiply pounds by 453.592 to get grams. 1 lb = 453.592 g; 0.5 lb = 226.796 g; 2 lb = 907.184 g; 5 lb = 2267.96 g. The exact factor 453.59237 g per pound was fixed in 1959 when the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Commonwealth countries signed the International Yard and Pound Agreement, locking the avoirdupois pound to a precise metric value.
Where You'll Use This
Adapting an American recipe ('one pound of ground beef', 'one pound of butter', 'two pounds of potatoes') to a European or Japanese cookbook context where everything is measured in grams. International shipping and customs declarations where American household scales report in pounds but the destination country's customs forms require grams. Boxing and martial arts weight classes that originate in pounds (heavyweight, light heavyweight) but report in international competition contexts as kilograms-and-grams. Cosmetics and supplement labeling for export where American manufacturers print pounds for domestic and grams for European markets.
Reference Table
| From (Pounds) | To (Grams) |
|---|---|
| 0.25 | 113.4 |
| 0.5 | 226.8 |
| 1 | 453.6 |
| 1.5 | 680.4 |
| 2 | 907.2 |
| 5 | 2268 |
| 10 | 4536 |
A Bit of History
The avoirdupois pound dates to medieval English wool trade where it was defined as 7000 grains of wheat or barley. Through the centuries it drifted to slightly different definitions in different jurisdictions (the 'Tower pound' used by the Royal Mint, the 'merchant's pound' used in commerce). The 1959 international yard-and-pound agreement pinned it once and for all at exactly 0.45359237 kg, allowing any pound measure to convert to a precise gram quantity without ambiguity.
FAQ
How many grams in a pound?
One pound equals 453.592 grams. The rounded figure 454 g is commonly used in casual contexts; the precise NIST figure is 453.59237 g, fixed by the 1959 international yard-and-pound agreement.
How many grams in 2 pounds?
907.184 grams. Two pounds is just under one kilogram (1000 g) — a useful mental anchor when converting body weight or food quantity from American to metric measure.
How many grams is half a pound?
226.796 grams. Half a pound is approximately 227 g, which is also the standard mass of a stick of American butter (1/4 pound = 113.4 g, so a 4-stick package = 1 lb = 453.6 g).