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Centipoise to Pascal-Seconds Viscosity Converter
↔ Convert Pa·s to cP instead

Common Conversions

cP Pa·s
0.1 0.0001
0.5 0.0005
1 0.001
2 0.002
5 0.005
10 0.01
25 0.025
50 0.05
100 0.1
1000 1

Why this conversion matters in chemistry

The centipoise survives in chemistry because of one convenient coincidence: water at 20 °C is almost exactly 1 cP. Other common values fall on a familiar scale — ethanol at about 1.2, glycerol at 1412 (20 °C). Pascal-seconds are the SI base unit for dynamic viscosity, but the numbers come out as awkward decimals. The conversion is a clean factor of 1000 — 1 cP equals 1 mPa·s — which falls out of the translation between dyne·s/cm² in CGS and N·s/m² in SI. Multiplying by 10⁻³ is the standard step before any Reynolds-number or fluid-dynamics calculation that wants base SI throughout.

Formula

Pa·s = cP × 0.001

Worked Examples

1 cP = 0.001 Pa·s

Water at 20 °C — the conversion's calibration anchor and the reason the centipoise is sized the way it is.

1412 cP = 1.412 Pa·s

Glycerol at 20 °C — a thousand-fold more viscous than water, useful as a reference for high-viscosity fluids.

0.32 cP = 0.00032 Pa·s

Acetone at 20 °C — at the low-viscosity end of common organic solvents.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert centipoise to pascal-seconds?
Divide by 1000, or multiply by 0.001. So 1 cP equals 0.001 Pa·s, which is also 1 mPa·s. The centipoise and the millipascal-second are the same unit by two names.
Why does viscosity matter in chemistry?
Viscosity controls mixing rates, mass transfer, diffusion coefficients, and the flow behavior of reagents through pipes and columns. It sets how fast reagents homogenize in a batch reactor, how quickly a solvent flows through a chromatography column, and how easily droplets form in a liquid-liquid extraction.
What's the viscosity of common solvents?
Water at 20 °C is about 1.0 cP. Ethanol runs around 1.2 cP, acetone around 0.32 cP, DMSO around 2.0 cP. Glycerol at 20 °C is about 1412 cP — a thousand-fold above water and the canonical example of a high-viscosity liquid. Viscosity decreases with rising temperature for almost all solvents.