Luggage weight
Luggage weight converter
Switch between kilograms and pounds, then weigh your packing item by item and see where it sits against the allowance on your booking.
15.7 kg34.62 lb · 34 lb 9.9 oz
Within your allowance: 7.3 kg (16.09 lb) to spare
Heaviest: Clothes, 6.2 kg (13.67 lb)
Weighing without a luggage scale
Weigh small things on a kitchen scale and type them in as you pack: the empty case, clothes, shoes, the wash bag, gifts. Mix units freely; each row has its own kg or lb switch. For the whole bag, stand on a bathroom scale on your own, then again holding the bag, and enter the difference as one row. The empty case counts towards the allowance too.
The total is shown in both units and compared with the allowance you type. Within 95% of the limit it says you are cutting it close, because home scales can read a little differently from the one at the airport.
The conversion
One pound is exactly 0.45359237 kg, a definition shared by the UK and US since 1959, and a pound is 16 ounces. To get pounds, divide kilograms by 0.45359237 (or multiply by about 2.2046). Worked example: 23 kg ÷ 0.45359237 = 50.71 lb. The 0.71 lb left over is 0.71 × 16 = 11.3 oz, so 23 kg is 50 lb 11.3 oz.
Sources
- UK Weights and Measures Act 1985, Schedule 1: pound = 0.453 592 37 kilogram; ounce = 1/16 pound.
- NIST, Special Publication 811, Guide for the Use of the International System of Units, Appendix B: conversion factors for the pound and ounce.
Questions
How many pounds is 23 kg?
About 50.7 lb, or 50 lb 11.3 oz. For a quick check in your head, double the kilograms and add a tenth of the result: 23 × 2 = 46, plus 4.6 makes 50.6.
Does the suitcase's own weight count?
Yes. The allowance applies to the bag as it is weighed at the counter, so include the empty case and anything clipped to the outside.
Why is there no list of airline allowances?
They differ by airline, route, fare and cabin, and they change. A figure stored here could be out of date on the day you fly, so the tool uses the number on your own booking.