Per lb · kg · ton · gal

Price per unit converter: per lb, kg, ton, and gallon

Compare two supplier quotes on the same unit before you award.

Last updated 2026-09-27. Math runs in your browser, no data leaves your computer.

Suppliers quote in whatever unit their plant sells in, and the cheapest looking number is often the one on the heaviest unit. Enter each quote the way it arrived, and the tool puts both on every basis side by side.

Any currency works, as long as both quotes use the same one, so convert first if one supplier bills in another.

Match the unit printed on the quote, and where it only says ton, ask which ton before you enter it.

Leave blank to convert one price on its own, or add a second supplier to see the gap in percent.

The second quote can be in a different unit from the first, which is the case this tool exists for.

Take it from SDS Section 9 for the exact grade quoted. Without it the tool still converts between weight units and leaves the volume rows blank.

Before the booking, screen the name on the invoice. Shipment pre-check is on the paid plans, from USD 59 a month.

General guidance only. Verify against the cited primary sources before you commit to a shipment, declaration, or contract.

How the conversion works

Every price is first turned into a price per kilogram. The unit definitions come from NIST Handbook 44 Appendix C: the pound is exactly 0.45359237 kg, the short ton is 2,000 lb or 907.18474 kg, and the metric ton is 1,000 kg. A price per lb divided by 0.45359237 is a price per kg, and a price per short ton divided by 907.18474 is the same.

Volume prices need the density of the liquid. A liter of liquid weighs SG kilograms and a US gallon of 3.785411784 liters weighs SG × 3.785411784 kg, so a price per liter divided by SG is a price per kg, and a price per gallon divided by SG × 3.785411784 is the same.

Once both quotes are per kilogram, the tool multiplies back out to every other basis and reports the gap as a percentage of the dearer quote. The arithmetic is exact, and the only judgment left in it is the SG you enter and the ton you were quoted.

Worked example: per pound against per ton

The booking. Two suppliers quote the same grade on the same Incoterm for a 200 ton requirement. Supplier A offers USD 0.62 per lb and Supplier B offers USD 1,300 per ton, which you read as a short ton: 1,300 / 907.18474 = USD 1.4330 per kg against A's 0.62 / 0.45359237 = USD 1.3669 per kg, so A wins by 4.6 percent and looks fine on paper.

The failure. Supplier B built the quote in kilograms, and the ton was a metric ton. At 1,000 kg that is USD 1.30 per kg, which makes B 4.9 percent cheaper than A, and awarding to A costs (1.3669 − 1.30) × 200,000 kg = USD 13,373 on this order alone. The choice at award time is simple: confirm the unit, or pay for the assumption.

The fix. Enter both quotes exactly as they arrived, with Quote B set to per metric ton after one email to confirm it. The tool shows B at USD 1.30 per kg against A at USD 1.3669, the award goes to B, and the order ships at the lower price.

Ready to add freight, duty, and fees to the winning quote? The landed cost calculator builds the full delivered cost at /tools/pricing-and-quoting/landed-cost-calculator-full.

Comparing more than two suppliers across price, lead time, and terms? The RFQ comparison matrix lines them up in one table at /tools/pricing-and-quoting/rfq-comparison-matrix.

Frequently asked

How do I convert a price per pound to a price per kilogram?

Divide the price per pound by 0.45359237, the kilograms in one avoirdupois pound by definition in NIST Handbook 44. That is the same as multiplying by 2.2046. A quote of 0.62 per lb is 0.62 / 0.45359237 = 1.3669 per kg, or 1,366.87 per metric ton.

How do I compare a price per gallon with a price per pound?

You need the specific gravity, because a gallon of a heavy liquid holds more pounds than a gallon of a light one. One US gallon weighs SG × 8.3454 lb, so a price per gallon divided by that figure is the price per pound. Take the SG from SDS Section 9 for the exact grade quoted, since concentration moves it.

Which ton is the supplier quoting?

Ask, and get the answer in writing. A short ton is 2,000 lb and a metric ton is 1,000 kg, about 2,204.6 lb, so the same number per ton differs by 10.2 percent depending on which one is meant. On a 200 ton order that gap is larger than most negotiated discounts.

Does this account for freight, duty, or Incoterms?

No, it converts the unit only. Two quotes are comparable only when they sit on the same Incoterm, the same packaging, and the same payment terms, so bring an FOB quote and a delivered quote onto one basis first. The landed cost calculator adds freight, insurance, duty, and fees on top of a per unit price.

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Sourzi shows what official files say. It is not customs or legal advice. For a binding answer, ask a licensed customs broker, a CBP ruling or an Australian Border Force Tariff Advice.

File dates and links are on Data sources.