How many pascal-second are in 1 poise?

1 poise = 0.1 pascal-second (Pa·s).

1 centipoise (cP) = 0.01 poise = 0.001 Pa·s. Many lab instruments read in cP because water at 20 °C is 1 cP.

Can I convert Pa·s back to poise or centipoise?

Yes. Poise = Pa·s ÷ 0.1, and cP = Pa·s × 1000.

Poise to Pascal-Second Converter

Convert dynamic viscosity between poise (CGS), pascal-second (SI) and centipoise (laboratory). 1 P = 0.1 Pa·s = 100 cP.

Poise (P)

1 P = 0.1 Pa·s

Pascal-second (Pa·s)

SI unit of dynamic viscosity.

Centipoise (cP)

Water @ 20 °C ≈ 1 cP.

Note: Poise is from the CGS system; Pa·s is the SI unit. This tool uses exact SI factors.

Conversion formulas

1 P = 0.1 Pa·s

1 cP = 0.001 Pa·s

Pa·s = P × 0.1

P = Pa·s ÷ 0.1

cP = Pa·s × 1000 = P × 100

These relations come from the definition of poise: 1 P = 1 dyn·s/cm². Converting dynes to newtons and centimeters to meters gives 0.1 N·s/m² = 0.1 Pa·s.

Example

A lab report gives a viscosity of 4.8 P. Convert it to SI (Pa·s):

Pa·s = 4.8 × 0.1 = 0.48 Pa·s

cP = 0.48 × 1000 = 480 cP

This is a typical value for syrups or oils at room temperature.

Poise → Pa·s → cP table

Poise (P)	Pa·s	Centipoise (cP)

Rounded to 3 significant figures for quick field use.

Poise vs Pascal-second

Poise (P) is the CGS unit for dynamic viscosity, used in older rheology literature. The SI prefers pascal-second (Pa·s). Because many lab viscometers output in centipoise (cP), a practical tool must handle all three.

When do you need this converter?

When you have legacy food / cosmetic / polymer data in poise.
When your CFD / process simulation requires SI (Pa·s).
When you must report viscosity to a customer who expects cP (most common in labs).

Temperature matters

Viscosity is highly temperature-dependent. This converter assumes the value is already measured at the target temperature. If you change temperature, you must re-measure (or use a viscosity/temperature model).