kg/cm² to bar Converter

Therefore 1 kg/cm² = 98,066.5 / 100,000 = 0.980665 bar.

The conversion factor is less than 1 because kg/cm² is slightly smaller than bar (by 1.97%).

This means a pressure gauge reading 10 kg/cm² indicates 9.807 bar, the same physical pressure, different units.

The conversion appears when reading Asian-manufactured equipment nameplates (Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese) in kg/cm² and integrating into European process documentation that uses bar.

A Japanese air compressor rated at 7 kg/cm² discharge (typical for a 100-psi-class machine) is equivalent to 7 × 0.980665 = 6.86 bar, slightly below the European standard of 7-8 bar, and this 2% difference is noticeable when comparing equipment performance across markets.

A Japanese hydraulic pump rated at 210 kg/cm² (a very common industrial hydraulic pressure, equivalent to 3,000 psi-class) converts to 210 × 0.980665 = 205.9 bar, close to the 206 bar standard in European hydraulics.

The kg/cm²-to-bar conversion is also needed when servicing Japanese-manufactured pressure relief valves (PRVs) with European test equipment: the PRV nameplate says 'Set: 15 kg/cm²' and the European test bench reads in bar, the correct setpoint is 14.7 bar.

Setting the valve to 15 bar instead (a 2.1% error) is within most PRV setpoint tolerances (±3%) but is technically incorrect.

For precision applications (clean steam systems in pharmaceutical plants, where ±1% PRV accuracy is specified), the 2% difference between kg/cm² and bar can be the difference between a conforming and non-conforming PRV.

In the Japanese and Korean refrigeration and air conditioning industry, refrigerant pressure specifications are often in kg/cm²G (gauge): R-410A at 35°C saturation corresponds to about 27 kg/cm²G (26.5 barG).

Technicians servicing these systems with European manifold gauge sets (in bar) must convert to avoid overcharging or undercharging.