How do I convert pounds to grams?

By Paulo de VriesLast verified 2026-05-214 sources~4 min readhigh consensus

1 pound (lb) = 453.59 grams (g). Most home recipes round to 1 lb = 454 g or 450 g. For 1 ounce = 28.35 g (commonly rounded to 28 g). Multiply pounds × 453.59 for exact gram conversion.

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The full answer

The conversion (always the same number)

1 pound (lb) = 453.59237 grams (g) — defined exactly by the international avoirdupois pound, adopted 1959. Most home cooking + baking rounds to 454 g (precise to 0.1%) or 450 g (precise to 0.8%). For very precise applications (sourdough percentages, scaling commercial recipes), use 453.6.

Quick reference table (memorize these for cooking)

Pounds	Grams (exact)	Grams (cooking-rounded)
1/4 lb	113.4 g	115 g
1/2 lb	226.8 g	225 g
3/4 lb	340.2 g	340 g
1 lb	453.6 g	450 g
1.5 lb	680.4 g	680 g
2 lb	907.2 g	900 g or 910 g
5 lb	2,268 g (2.27 kg)	2,270 g
10 lb	4,536 g (4.54 kg)	4,500 g

Ounces in the mix (most US recipes mix lb + oz)

1 pound = 16 ounces. So 1 ounce = 453.59 / 16 = 28.35 g.

Ounces	Grams
1 oz	28.35 g (round to 28)
2 oz	56.7 g (round to 57)
4 oz	113.4 g (round to 113)
8 oz (1/2 lb)	226.8 g (round to 227)
12 oz	340.2 g (round to 340)
16 oz (1 lb)	453.6 g (round to 454)

NOTE: US "ounce" by weight is 28.35 g. US "fluid ounce" is 29.57 mL (volume, not weight). Don't confuse them — recipes specifying weight use the weight ounce; recipes specifying volume use the fluid ounce. They differ by ~4%.

When to convert vs use a scale

For BAKING and FERMENTATION precision (any recipe where percentages matter — sourdough hydration, dough strength, brine concentration), use a scale set to grams directly. Don't convert from cup or pound measurements — go straight to grams. The grams-to-grams accuracy is much better than pounds-to-cups-to-grams chains.

For COOKING (where ±5% doesn't change the outcome), pound-to-gram conversions with cooking-rounded values are fine.

Common recipe scenarios

"2 lb beef chuck for stew" → 900-910 g (any number in that range works)
"1 lb sourdough flour" → 454 g (use exact for hydration calculation)
"8 oz cream cheese" → 226 g (one block; usually pre-portioned)
"1.5 lb chicken breast" → 680 g (about 3 medium breasts)
"5 lb whole chicken" → 2.27 kg or 2,270 g (typical roaster)

Reverse: grams to pounds

Divide grams by 453.59. Or use these mental shortcuts: - 1000 g (1 kg) ≈ 2.2 lb - 500 g ≈ 1.1 lb - 100 g ≈ 3.5 oz (0.22 lb) - 50 g ≈ 1.8 oz

Cross-reference: see /pages/how-to-convert/ounces-to-grams for ounce-specific conversion + /pages/how-to-convert/cups-to-grams for volume-to-weight (which requires knowing what ingredient) + /pages/how-to-convert/fahrenheit-to-celsius for temperature.

Time ranges by condition

Condition	Duration	Note
Quick mental conversion needed	< 5 seconds	1 lb ≈ 450 g (within 1%)
Cooking-precise conversion	5 seconds	multiply pounds × 454
Baking-precise conversion	10 seconds	multiply pounds × 453.59 for sourdough hydration math

What changes the time

Application precision needed. Cooking: ±5% fine (use 450). Baking: ±1% needed (use 454). Commercial: exact (453.59).
Weight vs volume ounce. Weight ounce = 28.35 g. Fluid ounce = 29.57 mL. Check recipe context — meat is weight, water/oil in oz is usually volume.
Rounding strategy. Round to nearest 5 g for cooking; nearest 1 g for baking; exact for percentages.

Common questions

Why does my recipe say "1 lb (454 g)" if the exact value is 453.59?

Cookbook convention rounds to whole grams for readability. 453.59 → 454 is the standard "round half up" convention; some publishers use 450 g (cleaner number, 0.8% error). Either works for cooking. For commercial bakers calculating sourdough percentages, the exact 453.59 matters (0.1% accumulates over multi-pound batches); for home use, both 450 and 454 give indistinguishable results.

Is the metric pound (500 g) the same as the US pound?

No — they're different. The US/imperial pound (avoirdupois) = 453.59 g exactly. The metric pound (used informally in Germany, Netherlands, parts of Scandinavia) = 500 g. If you're translating a European recipe that says "500 g" or "1 metric pound," use 500 g directly — DO NOT convert to US pounds. If it says "1 lb" with English context, it's the US pound = 454 g.

Can I just measure by cups instead of converting pounds?

For baking — NO. Cup measurements vary 20-40% by how packed/sifted the ingredient is. A "cup of flour" can weigh 120-180 g depending on technique. Always weigh in grams for baking precision. For cooking — YES, cup measurements are usually fine; the recipe tolerates the variance.

Sources

We cite primary research, expert practice, and authoritative reference. Higher-tier sources weighted heavier. See methodology.

Tier 1 · peer-reviewed / governmentalTier 2 · editorial referenceTier 3 · named practitioner

T1NIST — International Pound definition (1959) — Authoritative metric-to-imperial conversion source
T1USDA FoodData Central — Standard recipe weights in both US and metric units
T2King Arthur Baking — measurement conversion — Practical cooking-precision conversion table
T1BIPM (International Bureau of Weights and Measures) — SI brochure — Definitive metric definition

Verify this answerEvery number, range, and recommendation on this page traces to a cited source listed above. Click any source to read the original. See how we verify for the full source-tier discipline, or browse the citation graph to see every source we cite across 188 answers.

What could change this answer

honest uncertainty

We don’t know your specific equipment, ingredient batch, or environment. This answer is the best directional estimate from cited sources. Here’s where it’s less certain:

3 factors shift the answer. Your specific application precision needed, weight vs volume ounce, rounding strategy can move this estimate in either direction. The table below shows the documented ranges.
Range spans 3 documented conditions. Pick the row that matches your scenario; halfway between two rows is your best estimate. The widest condition you can imagine is the safer upper bound.
Treat as a directional starting point. Real-world equipment, ingredient batch, and ambient conditions cause natural variance the table cannot capture. Use sensory checks (sight, smell, touch, internal temperature when relevant) alongside this answer — not instead of it.
Backed by 4 cited sources — verify if precision matters. See the Sources section for primary references. Cross-check the cited materials when stakes are high: commercial production, food safety, allergens, dietary or medical considerations.
Verified today. If you found a better-sourced answer or our answer no longer matches reality, tell us — corrections are public and dated. The page exists to be accurate, not to be unchanged.

Cite this page

de Vries, P. (2026). How do I convert pounds to grams?. AskedWell. Retrieved 2026-05-21, from https://askedwell.com/pages/how-to-convert/pounds-to-grams

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Last verified: 2026-05-21 · Published 2026-05-21

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