Centistokes
Centistokes (cSt) is a unit of kinematic viscosity in the centimeter–gram–second (CGS) system. It is defined as one hundredth of a Stokes, with 1 Stokes equal to 1 centimeter squared per second. Since 1 centimeter equals 0.01 meters, 1 Stokes equals 1×10−4 m^2/s, and therefore 1 centistoke equals 1×10−6 m^2/s. The centistoke is used to express the kinematic viscosity ν of a fluid, which relates dynamic viscosity μ and density ρ by ν = μ/ρ.
In practice, ν is measured with viscometers or capillary methods at a specified temperature. Because density and
Applications and typical ranges: The centistoke is widely used in petroleum, lubricants, and polymer science to
History and naming: The unit is named after Sir George Gabriel Stokes. It remains a standard practical