3 Ways to Convert Between Lbs and Kg in Google Sheets

Do you need to convert weight measurements between Kg and Lbs in your Google Sheets data?

The metric system is used by many countries to measure weight, length, and temperature. But, some countries still use the imperial system of measurement. When there’s a conflict in measurement style, conversion is a necessity.

Converting measures from imperial to metric (or otherwise) can be cumbersome. With the power of spreadsheet tools on your side, it can be smooth sailing.

In this post, you will learn a few easy ways to convert Pounds to Kilograms and Kilograms to Pounds without any hassle.

Convert Weight Between Lbs and Kg with Multiplication Factor

To convert using the multiplication factor, here’s what you need to do depending on your situation.

  1. Know the equivalent value of one pound in Kg, then use this value to multiply the weight in pounds that you want to convert to Kg to get the value of the weight in Kg.
  2. Know the equivalent value of one Kg in pounds, then use this value to multiply the weight in Kg that you want to convert to pounds to get the weight’s value in pounds.

If it sounds complicated, it’s not. Here’s what you need to know.

  • 1 Lbs = 0.453592 Kg
  • 1 Kg = 2.2046 Lbs

These are the figures you need to easily convert between Lbs and Kg.

Convert Lbs to Kg with Multiplication

Here’s how you convert from pounds to Kg in the spreadsheet.

= 0.453592 * B3

In this example, the pound value in cell B3 is multiplied by 0.453592 with the above formula to get its value in Kg.

Convert Kg to Lbs with Multiplication

=2.20462 * B3

The same thing also applies here. The Kg value in cell B3 is multiplied by 2.2046 in the above formula to get its value in Lbs.

Convert Weight Between Lbs and Kg with Multiplication Factor

If you find using the first method complicated or too much of a stress, then you will love this next method. You don’t have to remember the units of conversion for both measures.

When you use the CONVERT function, you just need to state what you’re converting from and what you want to convert into.

= CONVERT ( value, start_unit, end_unit )

The CONVERT function simply changes a number from one unit of measure to another using the following arguments.

  • value: the number you want to convert.
  • start_unit: the value’s present unit of measurement.
  • end_unit: the unit of measurement to which you want to convert the value.

When converting values with the CONVERT function, ensure that the start_unit and end_unit arguments are placed in quotation marks.

Convert Kg to Lbs with the CONVERT Function

= CONVERT ( B3, "kg", "lbm" )

This formula changes the value in cell B3 from Kg to pounds.

Convert Lbs to Kg with the CONVERT Function

=CONVERT(B3, “lbm’, “kg”)

This formula changes the value in cell B3 from pounds to KG.

Convert Weight Between Lbs and Kg with an Apps Script

There’s one more solution that you can use if you find any of the previous two tedious or prone to some likely omission errors. Perhaps you often forget to place the start_unit and end_unit arguments of the CONVERT function in quotation marks causing the syntax to return an error.

With this custom function, you get both the multiplication and CONVERT function solutions in one click. You only need to copy and paste this syntax into your app script custom editor to get started.

To get to the editor window, go to the Extensions menu ribbon and select the Apps Script option from the menu.

function convertLbsKg() {
  var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();
  var selectedRange = ss.getActiveRange();
  var selectedValues = selectedRange.getValues();
  var selectedColumns = selectedRange.getWidth();
  var selectedRows = selectedRange.getHeight();

  for (i = 0; i < selectedRows; i++) {
    for (j = 0; j < selectedColumns; j++) {
        selectedRange.getCell(i + 1, j + 1).setValue(selectedValues[i][j] * 0.453592);
    };
  };
};

function convertKgLbs() {
  var ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();
  var selectedRange = ss.getActiveRange();
  var selectedValues = selectedRange.getValues();
  var selectedColumns = selectedRange.getWidth();
  var selectedRows = selectedRange.getHeight();

  for (i = 0; i < selectedRows; i++) {
    for (j = 0; j < selectedColumns; j++) {
      selectedRange.getCell(i + 1, j + 1).setValue(selectedValues[i][j] * 2.20462);
    };
  };
};

function onOpen() {
  SpreadsheetApp.getUi()
    .createMenu('Convert')
    .addItem('Convert Lbs to Kg', 'convertLbsKg')
    .addItem('Convert Kg to Lbs', 'convertKgLbs')
    .addToUi();
};

When you paste the code into the editor, hit the Save button, then Run the script. You will need to grant some permissions for the script to run.

When you grant the permissions, go back to your spreadsheet and reload.

The syntax creates a custom Convert menu ribbon upon reloading the spreadsheet.

In its dropdown menu, you will find commands for converting from pounds to Kg and from Kg to pounds.

To use either one, simply highlight or select the range with the values you want to convert and choose the type of conversion you want to make from the dropdown. Easy.

Conclusion

The smallest errors made when converting from one unit to another can cause grave repercussions in calculations. From this article, you can reduce the chances of making any errors when converting from pounds to Kilograms.

While there might be a possibility of errors when using the multiplication method, using the CONVERT and custom scripts are fairly foolproof.

Do you find this helpful? Let me know in the comments section!

About the Author

Oluwaseun Olatoye

Oluwaseun Olatoye

Oluwaseun is a business intelligence analyst with expertise in Google Sheets and SQL programming language. He has worked with various businesses to make data-driven decisions. He enjoys helping others learn and grow.

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