bar
1 bar = 100,000 pascals
What is bar?
A bar is a pressure unit approximately equal to standard atmospheric pressure, or 100,000 pascals. It is widely used in meteorology, hydraulics, diving equipment, and industrial pressure gauges.
Notes: Engineering unit
Real-world uses
Bars are widely used in European tyre pressure specifications, compressed gas cylinder ratings, scuba diving depth gauges, and industrial process controls. Espresso machines operate at 9–15 bar. Atmospheric pressure is approximately 1.013 bar.
History
The bar was introduced by Norwegian meteorologist Vilhelm Bjerknes in 1909, derived from the Greek word "baros" meaning weight. Though not an SI unit, it is widely accepted in industry and was retained in the EU Directive on units of measurement.
Common mistakes
Confusing bar with atm—they are close (1 atm ≈ 1.01325 bar) but not identical. Also, gauge pressure (barg) versus absolute pressure (bara) is often mixed up; gauge pressure reads zero at atmospheric pressure.
When is this conversion used?
Tyre pressure gauges, HVAC systems, and industrial equipment may use different pressure units depending on the manufacturer and region. Converting between psi, bar, and kPa is common in automotive and engineering work.
How to convert bar to pascal
To convert bar to pascal, multiply the value by 100,000.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 100000.0
Measurement standards
The pascal (Pa) is the SI derived unit of pressure, defined as one newton per square metre. The World Meteorological Organization mandates the hectopascal (hPa) for atmospheric pressure reporting in aviation and weather services.
Did you know?
The pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, nearly 11 km deep, exceeds 1,086 bar — over a thousand times atmospheric pressure. At this depth, water is compressed by about 5%, making it measurably denser than at the surface.
| bars | pascals |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 10,000 |
| 0.5 | 50,000 |
| 1 | 100,000 |
| 2 | 200,000 |
| 5 | 500,000 |
| 10 | 1,000,000 |
| 25 | 2,500,000 |
| 50 | 5,000,000 |
| 100 | 10,000,000 |
| 250 | 25,000,000 |
| 500 | 50,000,000 |
| 1,000 | 100,000,000 |
Common values
| bars | pascals | |
|---|---|---|
| Car tyre | 2.2 bars | 220,000 pascals |
| Standard atmosphere | 1.01325 bars | 101,325 pascals |
| Blood pressure (systolic) | 0.16 bars | 16,000 pascals |
| Deep-sea submersible | 1,100 bars | 110,000,000 pascals |
| Bicycle tyre | 6.2 bars | 620,000 pascals |
Full bar conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| pascal | 1 bar = 100,000 Pa | × 100,000 |
| kilopascal | 1 bar = 100 kPa | × 100 |
| pound per square inch | 1 bar = 14.50377377 psi | × 14.50377377 |
| atmosphere | 1 bar = 0.98692327 atm | × 0.98692327 |
| millibar | 1 bar = 1,000 mbar | × 1,000 |
| hectopascal | 1 bar = 1,000 hPa | × 1,000 |
| torr | 1 bar = 750.0616827 Torr | × 750.0616827 |
| inch of mercury | 1 bar = 29.52998016 inHg | × 29.52998016 |
| megapascal | 1 bar = 0.1 MPa | × 0.1 |