Water flow, pressure and head conversions
Fast engineering unit conversions and reference values for everyone on site. Built into Tenselo so you never break flow to open another tool.
Method & worked example
Common water-engineering unit conversions
Keep the time basis and the volume unit together. A flow rate is not a stored volume.
| Starting quantity | Equivalent | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 1 L/s | 60 L/min = 3.6 m³/h | Continuous flow |
| 1 L/s for 24 hours | 86.4 m³ = 86.4 kL | Volume delivered, not a new flow rate |
| 1 m³ | 1,000 L = 1 kL | Stored volume |
| 1 ML | 1,000 m³ = 1,000,000 L | Stored volume |
| 1 bar | 100 kPa | Pressure |
| 1 m water head | 9.81 kPa | Assume density 1,000 kg/m³ and g = 9.81 m/s² |
Worked conversion: 100 m³/h to litres per second
Multiply by 1,000 L/m³ and divide by 3,600 s/h: 100 × 1,000 / 3,600 = 27.78 L/s, rounded to two decimal places. Retain unrounded values during subsequent calculations.
Pressure and head need a fluid density
Use pressure = density × gravity × head. At the water-density assumption above, 100 kPa is approximately 10.19 m head. Different fluids and temperatures change the pressure-to-head relationship.
Which gallon does the source mean?
A US liquid gallon is 3.785411784 L; an imperial gallon is 4.54609 L. Check the stated basis before converting gpm. A bare “gpm” label is insufficient when combining supplier data from different markets.
Use REF-001 engineering unit conversion and REF-002 water properties. Apply the converted flow in the pipe hydraulics or pump-sizing workflow.
Static educational example · Updated 1 October 2026 · Methods and limitations. Project calculations run in the subscription application; New accounts require approval.
Why it matters on the job
No more unit slips
Keep flow, pressure, power and area units explicit when transferring values between calculations.
Reference at hand
Water properties vs temperature and engineering constants built in.
Stay in flow
Convert without leaving the calc you're working in.
2 Conversions & Reference calculators
Every calculator in this category, by its reference code. Running them requires an approved Tenselo account with access to the relevant calculators.
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REF-001 Engineering Unit Converter
Flow, pressure/head, area, hardness... metric <-> imperial
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REF-002 Water Properties vs Temperature
Density, viscosity, vapour pressure & specific weight
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