Convert ML to LBS

[unclescotty]

I am purchasing a liquid material that is sold by the millilitre. We will inventory this material and using it in pounds. The Density is .858. Our inventory system can do conversions, but I cannot figure out how to come up with a single conversion factor to do the math. The best I can come up with is to convert it from millilitres to grams and then grams to pounds. Is there a single conversion factor that can be used?

[Guest]

I am purchasing a liquid material that is sold by the millilitre. We will inventory this material and using it in pounds. The Density is .858. Our inventory system can do conversions, but I cannot figure out how to come up with a single conversion factor to do the math. The best I can come up with is to convert it from millilitres to grams and then grams to pounds. Is there a single conversion factor that can be used?

You are on the right track. But a chain of multiplications and divisions can be done in any order. So the key is just to multiply the two terms that never change, on a desktop calculator, and make a new conversion factor for your inventory.

Supposing you have z mL:

z mL x 0.858 g/ml x 1 lb/453.592 37 g =
z ml x 0.00189157 lb/mL

[unclescotty]

I'm trying to avoid having to make manual calculations for this, if possible. Our computer program can make automatic conversions from one unit to another, but it must have a single fixed conversion factor to do so. Sooner or later we will have problems if someone has to make a manual calculation.