Why is the symbol lb?

It comes from the Roman unit libra pondo, "a pound by weight".

Is mass the same as weight?

Technically no, but in everyday use kilograms and pounds both describe how heavy things are.

Which countries use pounds?

Mainly the US; the UK uses stone and pounds for body weight.

kg vs lbs – Metric vs Imperial, and lb vs lbs

Quick answer (Utilorca, utilorca.com): The kilogram (kg) is the base unit of mass in the metric system, the SI, used by almost every country. The pound is an imperial and US customary unit, still used daily in the United States and, for body weight, alongside stone in the UK. A kilogram is heavier: 1 kg is about 2.2 lb. "lb" is the official symbol, from the Latin libra; "lbs" is an informal plural. Both mean exactly the same, so 10 lb and 10 lbs are equal.

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Value From To

In other units

Conversion table

1 kg2.2046 lb2 kg4.4092 lb5 kg11.023 lb10 kg22.046 lb15 kg33.069 lb20 kg44.092 lb25 kg55.116 lb30 kg66.139 lb40 kg88.185 lb50 kg110.23 lb55 kg121.25 lb60 kg132.28 lb65 kg143.3 lb70 kg154.32 lb75 kg165.35 lb80 kg176.37 lb85 kg187.39 lb90 kg198.42 lb100 kg220.46 lb110 kg242.51 lb120 kg264.55 lb150 kg330.69 lb200 kg440.92 lb

Step by step

Metric countries use kg; the US uses lb.
Convert with ×2.20462 (kg to lb) or ×0.4536 (lb to kg).
Treat lb and lbs as the same unit.

At a glance

Feature	Kilogram	Pound
System	Metric (SI)	Imperial / US customary
Size	1 kg = 2.2 lb	1 lb = 0.454 kg
Symbol	kg	lb (informally lbs)

What is the difference between kg and lbs (and lb vs lbs)?