Stones (st) and Pounds (lb) explained
The stone is a British unit of mass used almost exclusively for body weight, and almost exclusively in the UK and Ireland. It was standardised at 14 pounds by an Act of Parliament in 1835; before that, the stone varied by trade, ranging from 8 pounds for meat to 32 pounds for hemp. The pound is the base unit of mass in the US customary system, defined since 1959 as exactly 0.45359237 kilograms, which makes a stone exactly 6.35029318 kg. British weights are conventionally written as stones and pounds together — "11 stone 4" means 11 × 14 + 4 = 158 pounds — and the pounds part never reaches 14, because 14 pounds is another stone.
Formula and worked examples
lb = st × 14Multiply stones by 14. Ten stone is 140 pounds. Twelve stone is 168 pounds. For a mixed weight like 11 stone 4 pounds, multiply the stones and add the loose pounds: 11 × 14 + 4 = 158 pounds. To go the other way, divide by 14 — the whole part is stones and the remainder is pounds.
Stones (st) to Pounds (lb) conversion table
Common Stones (st) values converted to Pounds (lb). Every figure uses the same conversion factor as the calculator above.
| Stones (st) | Pounds (lb) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 14 |
| 2 | 28 |
| 5 | 70 |
| 10 | 140 |
| 20 | 280 |
| 50 | 700 |
| 100 | 1400 |
Where you will use this
Reading a British weight in US terms
UK health guidance, sports reporting and everyday conversation use stones. A boxer listed at 14 stone weighs 196 pounds, which places him in the cruiserweight range on a US scorecard.
Filling in a fitness app or medical form
Most apps and clinical forms accept pounds or kilograms but not stones. Converting 9 stone 7 to 133 pounds — or 60.3 kg — is what gets the number into the field correctly.
Tracking weight change over time
A goal of losing "a stone" is 14 pounds, or about 6.35 kg. Expressed in pounds, weekly progress becomes visible: at a sustainable 1–2 pounds per week that goal is a 7 to 14 week project.