Inch of Mercury (inHg)
A pressure unit defined as the pressure exerted by a 1-inch column of mercury at standard conditions (approximately 3,386 Pa). Inches of mercury are the primary unit for US aviation altimeter settings ("Altimeter 30.12 inHg" in METAR reports), US barometric weather reporting, HVAC duct static pressure, and some automotive vacuum gauges (manifold vacuum). Standard sea-level atmospheric pressure is 29.92 inHg.
The Inch of Mercury (inHg) is a unit of pressure with a history connected to the study of fluids, gases, and atmospheric phenomena. Evangelista Torricelli's invention of the barometer in 1643 was a landmark in pressure measurement, and subsequent work by Blaise Pascal established the mathematical foundations. The pascal — the SI unit — was named in Pascal's honor when the SI system was formalized. The Inch of Mercury reflects either the SI tradition or the practical conventions of specific industries that standardized their measurements independently.
Accurate pressure measurement is critical in engineering, science, commerce, and everyday life. Using the correct unit and applying conversions precisely prevents errors that can be costly or dangerous in professional applications. MegaCalc provides instant, precise conversions for the Inch of Mercury and all related units so you can work confidently across unit systems.
Conversion Table
| Unit | Symbol | 1 inHg = |
|---|---|---|
| Pascal | Pa | 3386.39 Pa |
| Kilopascal | kPa | 3.38639 kPa |
| Bar | bar | 0.0338639 bar |
| Atmosphere | atm | 0.0334211 atm |
| Pound per Square Inch | psi | 0.491154 psi |
| Millimeters of Mercury | mmHg | 25.4001 mmHg |
| Megapascal | MPa | 0.00338639 MPa |
| Gigapascal | GPa | 0.00000338639 GPa |
| Kilopound per Square Inch | ksi | 0.000491154 ksi |
| Torr | torr | 25.4001 torr |
| Kilogram-force per Square Centimeter | kgf/cm² | 0.0345316 kgf/cm² |
Conversions Involving Inch of Mercury
Pascal → Inch of Mercury
Pa → inHg
Kilopascal → Inch of Mercury
kPa → inHg
Bar → Inch of Mercury
bar → inHg
Atmosphere → Inch of Mercury
atm → inHg
Pound per Square Inch → Inch of Mercury
psi → inHg
Millimeters of Mercury → Inch of Mercury
mmHg → inHg
Megapascal → Inch of Mercury
MPa → inHg
Gigapascal → Inch of Mercury
GPa → inHg
Kilopound per Square Inch → Inch of Mercury
ksi → inHg
Torr → Inch of Mercury
torr → inHg
Inch of Mercury → Pascal
inHg → Pa
Inch of Mercury → Kilopascal
inHg → kPa
Inch of Mercury → Bar
inHg → bar
Inch of Mercury → Atmosphere
inHg → atm
Inch of Mercury → Pound per Square Inch
inHg → psi
Inch of Mercury → Millimeters of Mercury
inHg → mmHg
Inch of Mercury → Megapascal
inHg → MPa
Inch of Mercury → Gigapascal
inHg → GPa
Inch of Mercury → Kilopound per Square Inch
inHg → ksi
Inch of Mercury → Torr
inHg → torr
Inch of Mercury → Kilogram-force per Square Centimeter
inHg → kgf/cm²
Kilogram-force per Square Centimeter → Inch of Mercury
kgf/cm² → inHg
Common Uses of the Inch of Mercury
- •Automotive — inflating tires to manufacturer-specified pressures
- •Weather reporting — tracking barometric pressure for forecasting
- •Hydraulic systems — designing and operating fluid power equipment
- •Scuba diving — calculating safe dive depths based on partial pressures
- •Medical — measuring blood pressure and calibrating medical equipment
Did You Know?
The deepest point in the ocean — the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench — has a water pressure of approximately 110 MPa, or about 1,086 times standard atmospheric pressure. The Inch of Mercury is one of several units used to express pressures across this extraordinary range.
Scientific Definition of the Inch of Mercury
The Inch of Mercury (inHg) is defined within the context of pressure measurement. Modern metrology ties most measurement units to fundamental physical constants or precisely reproducible laboratory references, ensuring that a measurement made in one laboratory gives the same result as a measurement made anywhere else in the world. This traceability to international standards is what makes the Inch of Mercury reliable for scientific research, commercial trade, engineering design, and legal metrology. When you use a conversion tool to translate between the Inch of Mercury and other units, the underlying conversion factors are the exact ratios defined by international standards bodies — not approximations. This means the only limit to the accuracy of a conversion is the precision of your input measurement. For everyday use, converting the Inch of Mercury to equivalent units in other systems is instant and accurate to many more decimal places than any practical measurement could justify.
Tips for Converting the Inch of Mercury
When converting the Inch of Mercury to other pressure units, pay careful attention to the direction of the conversion factor — multiplying and dividing are not interchangeable. A quick sanity check is to estimate the expected magnitude of the result before performing the conversion: if the target unit is larger than the Inch of Mercury, the numerical value should be smaller, and vice versa. For chained conversions across multiple unit systems, convert everything to a common intermediate unit (typically the SI base unit) and then from that intermediate to the target. This approach is more reliable than direct conversion through multiple factors and makes the calculation easier to verify. When working with very large or very small values, consider whether a metric prefix (milli-, kilo-, mega-) would make the number easier to interpret without losing precision. For critical applications, always cross-check the converted value using a second method — a different calculator, a published table, or a hand calculation using the conversion factor directly.
Accuracy and Precision
Conversion of the Inch of Mercury is performed using exact, internationally defined factors wherever possible. For units defined by historical artifact or local convention, small differences between national standards may exist — for example, the difference between US survey foot and international foot, or the subtle variations between different definitions of the BTU. These differences are usually negligible for everyday use but matter in precision engineering, legal metrology, and international scientific collaboration. The MegaCalc conversion engine uses the most current internationally accepted values and documents any edge cases where multiple definitions exist. Numerical precision of conversions is carried to at least 10 significant figures internally, with displayed results rounded to a readable length. If you need additional precision for a specific calculation, the underlying engine provides the full precision on request — just inspect the source code or contact us for details.