Conversion Factors for the National Swine Nutrition Guide
Several methods exist for expressing units of weight, concentration and volume in swine nutrition. The objective of this factsheet is to show how to perform unit conversions for weight (Table 1), concentration (Table 2) and volume (Table 3).
For example, assume a diet you are evaluating contains 75 mg/lb of iron. You want to know the iron concentration in ppm. Find the line in Table 2 that indicates “mg/lb to ppm (line 17). The conversion factor is 2.2. Multiply 2.2 by 75. The diet contains 165 ppm of iron.
| Table 1. Weight conversion factorsa | ||
|---|---|---|
| Line no. | To convert: | Multiply by: |
| 1 | g to mg | 1,000 |
| 2 | mg to g | 0.001 |
| 3 | g to μg | 1,000,000 |
| 4 | μg to g | 0.000001 |
| 5 | kg to g | 1,000 |
| 6 | g to kg | 0.001 |
| 7 | kg to mg | 1,000,000 |
| 8 | mg to kg | 0.000001 |
| 9 | kg to lb | 2.2046 |
| 10 | lb to kg | 0.4536 |
| 11 | lb to g | 453.6 |
| 12 | g to lb | 0.0022 |
| 13 | mg to μg | 1,000 |
| 14 | μg to mg | 0.001 |
ag = gram; mg = milligram; μg = microgram; kg = kilogram; lb = pound.
| Table 2. Concentration conversion factorsa | ||
|---|---|---|
| Line no. | To convert: | Multiply by: |
| 1 | g/lb to % | 0.220 |
| 2 | % to g/lb | 4.536 |
| 3 | g/tonb to ppm | 1.102 |
| 4 | ppm to g/ton | 0.907 |
| 5 | Mcal/lb to kcal/lb | 1,000 |
| 6 | kcal to Mcal | 0.001 |
| 7 | Mcal to MJ | 4.184 |
| 8 | MJ to Mcal | 0.239 |
| 9 | mg/g to mg/lb | 453.6 |
| 10 | mg/lb to mg/g | 0.0022 |
| 11 | mg/g to ppm | 1,000 |
| 12 | ppm to mg/g | 0.001 |
| 13 | mg/kg to % | 0.0001 |
| 14 | % to mg/kg | 10,000 |
| 15 | mg/kg to ppm | 1 |
| 16 | ppm to mg/kg | 1 |
| 17 | mg/lb to ppm | 2.2 |
| 18 | ppm to mg/lb | 0.4536 |
| 19 | mg/lb to g/ton | 2 |
| 20 | g/ton to mg/lb | 0.5 |
| 21 | ppm to % | 0.0001 |
| 22 | % to ppm | 10,000 |
| 23 | μg/g to mg/g | 0.001 |
| 24 | mg/g to μg/g | 1000 |
| 25 | % to lb/ton | 20 |
| 26 | lb/ton to % | 0.05 |
ag = gram; lb = pound; % = percent; ppm = parts per million; Mcal = Megacalorie; kcal = kilo- calorie; MJ = megajoule; mg = milligram; kg = kilogram; μg = microgram.
bOne ton = 2000 lb.
| Table 3. Volume (fluid) conversion factorsa | ||
|---|---|---|
| Line no. | To convert: | Multiply by: |
| 1 | c to L | 0.237 |
| 2 | L to c | 4.227 |
| 3 | c to gal | 0.063 |
| 4 | gal to c | 16 |
| 5 | gal to L | 3.785 |
| 6 | L to gal | 0.264 |
| 7 | mL to cc | 1 |
| 8 | cc to mL | 1 |
| 9 | mL to tsp | 0.203 |
| 10 | tsp to mL | 4.929 |
| 11 | mL to tbs | 0.067 |
| 12 | tbs to mL | 14.787 |
| 13 | oz to mL | 29.574 |
| 14 | mL to oz | 0.034 |
| 15 | qt to L | 0.946 |
| 16 | L to qt | 1.057 |
ac = cup (US); L = liter; gal = gallon (US); mL = milliliter; cc = cubic centimeter; tsp = teaspoon (US); tbs = tablespoon (US); oz = ounce (US); qt = quart (US).
References
- 1988. Nutrient Requirements of Swine. 9th ed. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.
- Online Conversion. 20 http://www.onlineconversion.com/volume.htm. Accessed February 10, 2009.