MPa

Megapascal (symbol MPa) is a unit of pressure in the International System of Units (SI). It equals one million pascals, or 1,000,000 N/m^2, and is also commonly expressed as 1 N/mm^2. Because the pascal is a small unit, MPa is convenient for measuring stresses and pressures in engineering and materials science.

MPa is widely used to specify mechanical properties such as yield strength, tensile strength, and elastic modulus in solids. It is also used for hydraulic and pneumatic pressures in machinery, infrastructure, and equipment specifications.

Common values and contexts include: car tires typically operate around 0.2–0.3 MPa; high‑pressure hydraulic systems may reach tens of MPa; structural materials have yields from a few hundred MPa to over 1000 MPa; concrete compressive strength is about 20–40 MPa.

Conversions and notes: 1 MPa = 1,000 kPa = 10^6 Pa = 1 N/mm^2; 1 MPa is approximately 145.038 psi. The MPa unit is not a base SI unit but a derived unit using the mega- prefix. It is widely used in engineering and materials science to express moderate to high pressures and stresses.

Origin and naming: the prefix mega denotes 10^6, and the unit is based on the pascal, named after Blaise Pascal. The MPa designation is standard in technical fields for clarity when dealing with pressures and mechanical properties.