Dynamic Viscosity Converter
Same value in every unit
| Unit | Value |
|---|
Water is 1, and that is the point
The centipoise survives because it makes water almost exactly 1 at room temperature. Everything else becomes a mental multiple: milk is about 3, olive oil 80, honey a few thousand. In SI terms one centipoise is 0.001 Pa·s, so water is 0.001 pascal-seconds — a number nobody finds memorable, which is why the older unit refuses to die.
Everyday fluids, roughly, at room temperature
- Water — 1 cP
- Milk — 3 cP
- Olive oil — 80 cP
- Honey — 2,000–10,000 cP
- Ketchup — around 50,000 cP
A viscosity without a temperature is nearly useless
Viscosity falls steeply as fluids warm. Engine oil at 0 °C and the same oil at 100 °C differ by more than an order of magnitude, which is precisely what the two numbers in a grade like 10W-40 describe. Quoting a figure without the temperature it was measured at leaves out most of the information.
Dynamic or kinematic
Divide dynamic viscosity by density and you get kinematic viscosity, measured in stokes or m²/s. Lubricant specifications are usually kinematic; pump and process calculations are usually dynamic. Converting between them needs the density, so it is not something a unit table alone can do.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The viscosity of water at about 20 °C, which is why the unit is so widely used — it makes water 1 and everything else a multiple of it. One centipoise is exactly 0.001 pascal-second.
Dynamic viscosity is resistance to flow under an applied force. Kinematic viscosity is that divided by density, measured in stokes or square metres per second. Engine oils and lubricants are usually specified kinematically; process fluids dynamically.
Roughly: water 1 cP, milk 3, olive oil 80, honey 2,000 to 10,000, ketchup 50,000 or so. Honey is around ten thousand times more viscous than water, which is a hard number to guess from watching it pour.
Enormously, and it is the reason a single viscosity figure means little without one. Engine oil at 100 °C is a small fraction of its viscosity at 0 °C. Always take the temperature with the number.
No.