Convert between ksi (kilopounds per square inch) and PSI with MPa equivalents for engineering stress calculations.
Ksi (kilopounds per square inch) equals exactly 1,000 psi. The arithmetic is simple, but this converter is still useful because pressure and stress values often need to be restated in psi, MPa, bar, or kPa depending on the code, drawing, or test report you are reading.
Ksi is common in US structural and mechanical engineering because material strengths are easier to read at that scale. Engineers would rather write `50 ksi` than `50,000 psi`, especially when comparing yield and tensile strengths across steels, bolts, and other components. The same unit also shows up in elastic modulus and allowable stress values, where the larger number keeps the report readable without changing the meaning. It is the form most engineers expect when reviewing a stress table or checking a material certificate.
This page also includes common engineering reference values so you can sanity-check whether a converted number falls in the range expected for concrete, mild steel, structural steel, or high-strength fasteners.
Use this converter when a spec sheet, lab result, or design table switches between ksi and psi and you need matching SI equivalents without doing multiple manual conversions. It keeps the number in a readable engineering form and helps you compare it against common material benchmarks without mental arithmetic. That is useful when one document reports stress in ksi and another reports the same limit in psi or MPa.
ksi to psi: psi = ksi × 1,000 psi to ksi: ksi = psi ÷ 1,000 ksi to MPa: MPa = ksi × 6.89476 MPa to ksi: ksi = MPa ÷ 6.89476
Result: 50,000 psi / 344.7 MPa
50 ksi = 50 × 1,000 = 50,000 psi = 50 × 6.89476 = 344.7 MPa. This is the yield strength of ASTM A572 Grade 50 steel.
US structural steel specifications (ASTM A36, A572, A992) define strength in ksi. Design codes (AISC Steel Construction Manual) use ksi throughout. A working knowledge of common values — A36 yield = 36 ksi, A992 yield = 50 ksi — is fundamental.
1 ksi = 1,000 psi = 6.895 MPa = 6,895 kPa = 68.95 bar. Steel elastic modulus: 29,000 ksi = 200,000 MPa (200 GPa).
Psi is used for fluid pressure (tires, pipes, tanks) where values are typically 1-10,000. Ksi is used for mechanical stress where values would be unwieldy in psi (36,000 psi is more conveniently written as 36 ksi).
1 ksi = 1,000 psi exactly. Ksi means "kilo-psi," so the conversion is just a decimal shift with no rounding needed.
50 ksi = 50,000 psi. This is the yield strength of common structural steel such as A572 Grade 50, which makes it a useful benchmark when checking steel specs.
It is commonly used in US engineering for mechanical properties such as yield strength, tensile strength, modulus, and allowable stress values. It keeps large stress numbers readable without losing precision.
Divide by 1,000. For example, 58,000 psi ÷ 1,000 = 58 ksi, which is the form typically used in material tables and design codes.
36 ksi = 248 MPa. This is the minimum yield strength of ASTM A36 mild structural steel and a common reference point in building design.
1 ksi = 6.895 MPa, so 1 ksi is about 6.9 times larger than 1 MPa. That is why ksi is better suited to structural strengths while MPa is more natural in metric standards.