megapascal (MPa)
1 megapascal = 1,000,000 pascals
What is megapascal?
A megapascal is a pressure unit equal to one million pascals. It is used for measuring high pressures in industrial hydraulics, structural materials testing, and deep-sea and geological applications.
Notes: Engineering unit
Real-world uses
Megapascals are used for concrete compressive strength (typical structural concrete is 20–40 MPa), steel tensile strength (mild steel ≈ 250 MPa yield), and hydraulic system pressures. Geologists use MPa for rock stress and tectonic pressure at depth.
History
The megapascal became a standard engineering unit with the global adoption of SI. It provides a convenient scale for material strength and high-pressure applications, replacing older units like kgf/cm² and ksi (kilopounds per square inch) in most countries.
Common mistakes
Confusing MPa with kPa—they differ by a factor of 1,000. Specifying concrete strength as 30 kPa instead of 30 MPa would describe an impossibly weak material. Also, 1 MPa = 1 N/mm², a useful equivalence often forgotten.
When is this conversion used?
Converting megapascal to pascal is useful in the pressure domain when comparing values across different measurement standards or applying formulas that require a specific unit.
How to convert megapascal to pascal
To convert megapascal to pascal, multiply the value by 1,000,000.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 1e6
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.
| megapascals | pascals |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 100,000 |
| 0.5 | 500,000 |
| 1 | 1,000,000 |
| 2 | 2,000,000 |
| 5 | 5,000,000 |
| 10 | 10,000,000 |
| 25 | 25,000,000 |
| 50 | 50,000,000 |
| 100 | 100,000,000 |
| 250 | 250,000,000 |
| 500 | 500,000,000 |
| 1,000 | 1.000000e+09 |
Common values
| megapascals | pascals | |
|---|---|---|
| Car tyre | 0.22 megapascals | 220,000 pascals |
| Standard atmosphere | 0.101325 megapascals | 101,325 pascals |
| Blood pressure (systolic) | 0.016 megapascals | 16,000 pascals |
| Deep-sea submersible | 110 megapascals | 110,000,000 pascals |
| Bicycle tyre | 0.62 megapascals | 620,000 pascals |
Full megapascal conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| pascal | 1 MPa = 1,000,000 Pa | × 1,000,000 |
| kilopascal | 1 MPa = 1,000 kPa | × 1,000 |
| bar | 1 MPa = 10 bar | × 10 |
| pound per square inch | 1 MPa = 145.03773773 psi | × 145.03773773 |
| atmosphere | 1 MPa = 9.86923267 atm | × 9.86923267 |
| millibar | 1 MPa = 10,000 mbar | × 10,000 |
| hectopascal | 1 MPa = 10,000 hPa | × 10,000 |
| torr | 1 MPa = 7,500.61682704 Torr | × 7,500.61682704 |
| inch of mercury | 1 MPa = 295.29980165 inHg | × 295.29980165 |