Convert Pascal to Atmosphere (Pa → atm)

Converting pascals to atmospheres is straightforward: multiply by the conversion factor. Follow these three steps to do it by hand or in your head.

1. 1
   Take your value in pascals

   Start with the number of pascals (Pa) you want to convert.
2. 2
   Multiply by 0.000009869

   The conversion factor from Pa to atm is 0.000009869. Multiply your value by this number.
3. 3
   Read the result in atmospheres

   The result is your value in atmospheres (atm).

Multiply the value in pascals by 0.000009869. For the reverse direction, multiply by 101,325.

• ✓1 Pa = 1 N/m².
• ✓1 kPa = 1000 Pa; 1 MPa = 1,000,000 Pa; 1 bar = 100,000 Pa.
• ✓Use kPa, MPa or bar for practical engineering work.

• ✗Confusing Pa with psi — 1 psi = 6895 Pa.
• ✗Using Pa for tyre pressures — 220,000 Pa unwieldy; use 2.2 bar.
• ✗Mixing Pa absolute and Pa gauge without specification.

What is the Pascal?

The pascal is the SI unit of pressure, equal to 1 newton per square meter (1 N/m²). Named after French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal (1623–1662), it became the SI standard in 1971. One pascal is a very small pressure: atmospheric pressure at sea level is about 101,325 Pa, the human breath exerts roughly 100 Pa above ambient, and tire pressure is in the hundreds of thousands of pascals. Because the pascal is small, the kilopascal (1 kPa = 1,000 Pa), megapascal (1 MPa = 10⁶ Pa), and gigapascal (1 GPa = 10⁹ Pa) are more commonly used in practice. Modern weather forecasts use hectopascals (1 hPa = 100 Pa = 1 millibar). The pascal relates to the bar (1 bar = 100,000 Pa), the psi (1 psi ≈ 6,895 Pa), the atmosphere (1 atm = 101,325 Pa), and mmHg (1 mmHg ≈ 133.3 Pa). Scientific and engineering publications use the pascal universally.

• Scientific and engineering calculations
• Ventilation and HVAC airflow pressures
• Acoustic pressure (sound) measurements

What is the Atmosphere?

The atmosphere equals exactly 101,325 pascals (the average atmospheric pressure at sea level, latitude 45°) and is a reference unit in chemistry, diving, and engineering. Defined for scientific convenience to represent 'standard atmospheric pressure,' it is widely used in chemistry (gas laws, reaction conditions), aviation (cabin pressure relative to ambient), and scuba diving (depth pressure: every 10 m of seawater adds about 1 atm). Standard reference conditions in chemistry often specify 1 atm and 25°C. The atmosphere relates to the pascal (101,325 Pa = 1 atm), the kilopascal (101.325 kPa = 1 atm), the bar (1.01325 bar = 1 atm), the psi (14.696 psi = 1 atm), the torr (760 torr = 1 atm), and the meter of seawater (10.33 mH₂O = 1 atm). The 'technical atmosphere' (1 at = 98.066 kPa = 1 kgf/cm²) is a slightly different historical unit no longer in use.

• Chemistry standard conditions
• Aviation cockpit pressurisation references
• Pressure tank and vessel ratings