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Pounds to ounces

Multiply pounds by 16 to get ounces.

1 lb = 16 ozNIST HB 44
lb
32oz

2 lb = 32 oz

How to convert pounds to ounces

The ounce is one sixteenth of an avoirdupois pound, exactly 28.349523125 grams. The pound is exactly 0.45359237 kilograms — the international avoirdupois pound fixed by the 1959 agreement of the US, UK and Commonwealth.

Worked example — 2 lb: 2 × 16 = 32 oz.

Pounds to ounces table

Common conversions. The reverse table is on ounces to pounds.
PoundsOunces
0.25 lb4 oz
0.5 lb8 oz
1 lb16 oz
1.5 lb24 oz
2 lb32 oz
3 lb48 oz
5 lb80 oz
8 lb128 oz
10 lb160 oz

Reverse and related

About pounds and ounces

Pound (lb)

1 lb = 16 oz

Definition. Exactly 0.45359237 kilograms — the international avoirdupois pound fixed by the 1959 agreement of the US, UK and Commonwealth

History and origin

The pound descends from the Roman libra, whose name still gives the symbol lb. Many regional pounds circulated for centuries before the 16-ounce avoirdupois pound became the English-speaking standard for trade. In 1959 the United States, the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries signed the international yard and pound agreement, fixing the pound at exactly 0.45359237 kilograms.

Current use

The pound is the everyday unit of weight in the United States, and informally in the United Kingdom, for body weight, food packaging and shipping, while most of the world states the same weights in kilograms.

Source: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C §5 (Tables of Equivalents)

Ounce (oz)

1 oz = 0.0625 lb

Definition. One sixteenth of an avoirdupois pound, exactly 28.349523125 grams

History and origin

The ounce comes from the Roman uncia, a twelfth of the libra; the modern avoirdupois ounce is instead one sixteenth of the pound. Through the 1959 agreement it works out to exactly 28.349523125 grams.

Current use

Ounces are used in the United States for food portions, packaged goods and letter mail, and worldwide for boxing weights and some recipes.

Source: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C §5 (Tables of Equivalents)

Where people use this

Pounds: body weight in the US, gym plates, shipping weights. Ounces: recipe portions, letter mail, packaged food. 1 lb is exactly 16 oz.

How we know this is right
The factor is fixed by the standards that define the units, not chosen — so it is exact, not a measurement:
1 oz = 0.0625 lb, so 1 lb = 1 ÷ 0.0625 = 16 oz.

Every value is carried to full double precision; the display is rounded.

Both units are defined in NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C §5 (Tables of Equivalents).

Questions people ask

How many ounces is 1 pound?

One pound is exactly 16 ounces. To convert pounds to ounces, multiply by 16.

How many ounces is 2 lb?

2 pounds is 32 ounces, and half a pound is 8 ounces.

How many ounces is 5 lb?

5 pounds is 80 ounces.

All pound conversions