How many pounds equal a kilonewton?

One kilonewton (kN) equals 224.81 pounds of force. Although the pound is used as a unit of both mass and force, a pound-force differs from a pound-mass. A pound-force is the force required to accelerate a mass of 1 pound by 32.2 feet per second per second.

An acceleration of 32.2 feet per second per second is the same as that produced by gravity on a mass of one pound. Although the pound is ordinarily used in commerce in the U.S., SI units are preferred in scientific work. The SI unit of mass is kilogram, while the SI unit of force is the kilonewton.