kPa

The kilopascal (kPa) is a unit of pressure in the International System of Units (SI). It equals 1,000 pascals, and the pascal is defined as one newton per square meter. The kilopascal is a widely used derived unit named after Blaise Pascal, a 17th‑century French mathematician and physicist known for his work on pressure and fluid mechanics.

In practice, kPa is common in engineering and related fields. Meteorology more often uses the hectopascal (hPa) or the bar for atmospheric pressure. One bar equals 100 kPa, and one atmosphere equals 101.325 kPa. For approximate conversions, 1 psi is about 6.895 kPa.

Pressure is measured with devices such as pressure transducers, manometers, and barometers. The kilopascal is convenient for moderate pressures, including tire pressures, environmental pressures, and hydraulic systems; higher pressures are expressed in megapascals (MPa), where 1 MPa = 1,000 kPa.

Overall, the kilopascal is a standard SI unit used worldwide in science, engineering, and industry to quantify force per unit area in a practical, scalable way.