When it comes to weight measurements, different countries use different systems, and one of the most common points of confusion is the term “stone.” If you’ve ever come across a reference to someone’s weight in stones, you might have wondered, how many pounds are in a stone in the USA?
In this blog post, we’ll explain the conversion between stones and pounds, clear up any confusion, and help you understand how these measurements work.
What is a Stone?
A “stone” is a unit of weight traditionally used in the United Kingdom and some other countries that follow the British Imperial system. It’s not commonly used in the United States, where the pound is the standard unit of weight. However, when people from the UK or other countries that use stones discuss their weight, they might refer to their weight in stones.
1 stone is equal to 14 pounds.
How Many Pounds are in a Stone in the USA?
In the United States, a stone is still equal to 14 pounds, just like in the UK and other countries that use the Imperial system. Despite the stone being more common in countries like the UK and Ireland, the weight conversion remains the same globally, meaning that 1 stone = 14 pounds regardless of where you are.
So, if you ever hear someone say they weigh “10 stone,” you can easily convert that into pounds by multiplying 10 by 14, which gives you 140 pounds.
Why the Difference in Measurement Systems?
The difference in measurement systems—imperial versus metric—can be confusing at times, especially with units like stones. The imperial system (used in countries like the UK and the US) and the metric system (used in most other countries) have different units for measuring weight, length, and volume.
While the United States primarily uses the imperial system, most other countries have adopted the metric system, which uses kilograms to measure weight. As a result, stones are not commonly used in the US, but the conversion from stones to pounds remains consistent globally.
When Do People Use Stones?
In the UK, stones are commonly used to talk about body weight. For example, a person’s weight might be expressed as “11 stone 6 pounds” (which would be 160 pounds in the US). In contrast, people in the US generally use pounds for weight.
The use of stones can sometimes be seen in other countries that still use the Imperial system, like Ireland and some Commonwealth nations. But in the United States, stones are rarely encountered outside of conversations about people from the UK or certain sports like boxing, where weights are occasionally listed in stones.
How to Convert Stones to Pounds
If you need to convert stones into pounds, it’s simple:
- 1 stone = 14 pounds
- Multiply the number of stones by 14 to get the equivalent weight in pounds.
For example:
- 5 stones = 5 x 14 = 70 pounds
- 12 stones = 12 x 14 = 168 pounds
A Simple Conversion
In conclusion, whether you’re in the USA or elsewhere, 1 stone equals 14 pounds. If you come across someone’s weight expressed in stones, just multiply that number by 14 to get the weight in pounds. While the stone might not be a common unit of measurement in the US, understanding its conversion to pounds can be helpful in making sense of weight measurements from countries that still use the Imperial system.
Now that you know the conversion, you can easily navigate weight references in stones and pounds, no matter where you are!