Bar to PSI Converter

Convert bar to psi instantly, with a reference table for tyres, diving cylinders and pressure washers.

Bar

Pounds per square inch

1 bar = 14.5038 psi

Multiply bar by 14.50377377 to get pounds per square inch.

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Bar to pounds per square inch reference table

The conversions people look up most often, rounded to 4 decimal places.

Common bar to pounds per square inch conversions
Bar (bar)	Pound per square inch (psi)
0.5 bar	7.2519 psi
1 bar	14.5038 psi
1.5 bar	21.7557 psi
2 bar	29.0075 psi
2.2 bar	31.9083 psi
2.5 bar	36.2594 psi
3 bar	43.5113 psi
5 bar	72.5189 psi
9 bar	130.534 psi
10 bar	145.0377 psi
100 bar	1,450.3774 psi
200 bar	2,900.7548 psi
300 bar	4,351.1321 psi

The bar people look up most

1 bar = 14.5038 psi: Almost exactly one atmosphere, which is the whole reason the unit is convenient.
2 bar = 29.0075 psi: The low end of a car tyre placard - a small car, unladen.
2.1 bar = 30.4579 psi: A common front-tyre figure on European city cars, where placards are printed in bar.
2.2 bar = 31.9083 psi: The figure on most European car door placards, front and rear alike.
2.3 bar = 33.3587 psi: Often the rear-tyre figure, which is usually set higher than the front.
2.5 bar = 36.2594 psi: What most cars want when carrying passengers or a full boot.
2.7 bar = 39.1602 psi: A loaded estate or small van, and near the top of a normal car range.
3 bar = 43.5113 psi: A van or a heavily loaded car - the tyre wall gives a maximum, not a recommendation.
9 bar = 130.534 psi: Espresso extraction pressure - machines advertising 15 bar are quoting pump capability, not brew pressure.
200 bar = 2,900.7548 psi: A full scuba cylinder in Europe, where 232 bar is the other common working rating.
300 bar = 4,351.1321 psi: A high-pressure cylinder rating, and one that must never be put into a cylinder rated 3,000 psi.

How the bar to psi calculation works

One bar is 14.5038 psi:

psi = bar × 14.503774

The convenient anchor is that one bar is roughly one atmosphere — precisely, 1 atm is 1.01325 bar. So a reading in bar is close to "how many atmospheres above vacuum", which is why the unit stuck in Europe.

Everyday pressures:

2.0 bar → 29.0 psi
2.2 bar → 31.9 psi — a common car tyre pressure
2.5 bar → 36.3 psi
3.0 bar → 43.5 psi — a loaded van
9 bar → 130.5 psi — espresso extraction
200 bar → 2,900.8 psi — a full scuba cylinder
300 bar → 4,351.1 psi — a high-pressure diving cylinder

Diving is where the conversion is most safety-critical. European cylinders are filled to 200 or 300 bar; American ones are rated in psi, commonly 3,000 psi (206.8 bar). A regulator or cylinder rated for 3,000 psi must not be filled to 300 bar, which is 4,351 psi — 45% over its rating.

Pressure washers are marketed in bar in Europe and psi in the US. A 150 bar domestic machine is 2,175 psi; a "2,000 psi" American unit is 137.9 bar. Comparing across markets without converting makes one look far more capable than it is.

Weather uses a different scale again: atmospheric pressure is reported in hectopascals or millibars, where 1 bar = 1,000 mbar = 1,000 hPa. A 1,013 hPa reading is 1.013 bar, or 14.7 psi.

For a rough figure, multiply bar by 14.5.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between working pressure and burst pressure?

Working pressure is the maximum a component is intended to see in service; burst pressure is where it actually fails. Hydraulic hose is typically rated with a four-to-one margin, so a hose marked 200 bar working - 2,901 psi - is tested to burst somewhere near 800 bar. The rating stamped on a part is always the working figure, and converting it does not release any of that margin to spend.

Is a bar of pressure the same as ten metres of water?

Close enough that divers use it as a rule. Every 10 m of sea water adds about 1 bar, or 14.5 psi, so at 30 m a diver is under 4 bar absolute once the atmosphere above is counted. That is also why a cylinder lasts about a quarter as long at 30 m: a regulator delivers gas at ambient pressure, so every breath contains four times as much of it.

What does 3 bar mean on a watch?

A static test pressure, and a widely misread one. A watch marked 3 bar - 43.5 psi - has been tested at a pressure equivalent to 30 m of water, but the test is static and swimming generates dynamic pressure well beyond it. The usual guidance is that 3 bar survives rain and handwashing, 5 bar swimming, and 10 bar or more diving. It is a test rating, not a depth.

Bar to PSI Converter