How many grams are in a pound?

One pound contains 454 grams when rounded to the nearest gram. The exact modern value for the international avoirdupois pound is 453.59237 grams, so 454 is the standard whole-number answer used in everyday conversions.

The pound in this question is the avoirdupois pound, the customary unit used for groceries, body weight, and most ordinary measurements in the United States and United Kingdom. It is divided into 16 avoirdupois ounces, making one ounce exactly 28.349523125 grams. The pound is a unit of mass, although people commonly describe it as a unit of weight.

The exact relationship was internationally standardized in 1959 through the International Yard and Pound Agreement. That agreement defined the pound as exactly 0.45359237 kilograms. A common mistake is to answer 500 grams, which is a convenient half-kilogram approximation rather than the actual conversion. Another is confusing the avoirdupois pound with the troy pound used for precious metals; a troy pound has only 12 troy ounces and a different mass.