Dynamic Viscosity Converter
Convert between Pascal-second, millipascal-second, centipoise, and poise instantly.
Type in any field and the others update automatically.
Type in any field — the others update instantly.
Dynamic viscosity measures a fluid’s resistance to flowing when a force pushes on it. Thick, sticky fluids like honey have high viscosity; thin, runny ones like water have low viscosity. The SI unit is the pascal-second (Pa·s), though almost every real-world value is quoted in the smaller millipascal-second.
Key conversions:
- 1 Pa·s = 1,000 mPa·s (millipascal-seconds)
- 1 poise (P) = 0.1 Pa·s
- 1 centipoise (cP) = 0.001 Pa·s = 1 mPa·s
The poise and centipoise come from the older cgs system and refuse to die, mostly because of one convenient accident: water at 20°C is almost exactly 1 cP, which makes a handy mental yardstick. One centipoise equals one millipascal-second exactly, so those two scales line up.
Where common fluids sit:
- Water at 20°C: about 1 mPa·s
- Olive oil: roughly 80 mPa·s
- Honey: 2,000–10,000 mPa·s, depending on temperature
Temperature is the catch. Viscosity falls fast as a fluid warms, which is why honey pours easily from a warm jar and why motor oil is graded for how it behaves both cold and hot. A viscosity figure with no temperature attached is close to meaningless.
One distinction trips people up constantly: dynamic viscosity is not kinematic viscosity. Kinematic viscosity is this value divided by density, measured in stokes or centistokes. Oil specs and lab reports mix the two freely, so check which one a number refers to before you convert.
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This converter runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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