Protein Per Pound vs Per Kg
Per pound and per kg are the same guidance in two units — 1 g/kg equals 0.4536 g/lb. Enter your weight in whichever unit your scale uses and get the same daily protein target either way.
Protein Intake Calculator
Required: protein needs and lean-mass differ by biological sex (male or female).
Range: 15–100 years.
Range: 30–300 kg
Enter your height in centimeters (e.g., 170 cm)
In a calorie deficit, higher protein (1.8–2.4 g/kg) protects muscle and keeps you full.
Moderate exercise most days of the week. More training nudges the target up.
Know your body fat %? Enter it for the more accurate lean-mass method (protein per kg of lean mass, not total weight). Leave it blank to use your body weight. Don't know it? Estimate it with the Body Fat % Calculator.
*This calculator is for informational purposes only. Please consult a healthcare professional before making any health decisions. See our medical disclaimer for more information.
Quick Answer
Protein Per Pound vs Per Kg — Which Should You Use?
They are the same guidance in two units. Because one kilogram is 2.2046 pounds, 1 g/kg = 0.4536 g/lb — so any g/kg band has an exactly equivalent g/lb band. A 154 lb / 70 kg person (the same body) lands on a recommended 161 g of protein a day either way, inside a 140–182 g range. Use pounds if your scale reads pounds, kilograms if it reads kilograms; the daily grams are identical. Enter your weight above in whichever unit you prefer.
Two Coefficients, One Guideline
Protein research is written in grams-per-kilogram, but many people weigh themselves in pounds, which is where the confusion starts. The fix is a single conversion: g/lb = g/kg × 0.453592. So the fat-loss floor of 2.0 g/kg is 0.91 g/lb, and the top of an active cut at 2.6 g/kg is 1.18 g/lb. The per-pound number always looks smaller, because a pound is smaller than a kilogram — but it is multiplied over more pounds, so the total lands in the same place.
| Per kilogram | Per pound | Same point on the band |
|---|---|---|
| 1.6 g/kg | 0.73 g/lb | Muscle-gain / maintenance overlap |
| 1.8 g/kg | 0.82 g/lb | Fat-loss band starts |
| 2.0 g/kg | 0.91 g/lb | Mid fat-loss |
| 2.2 g/kg | 1.00 g/lb | The "1 g/lb" landmark |
| 2.4 g/kg | 1.09 g/lb | Upper fat-loss end |
| 2.6 g/kg | 1.18 g/lb | Top of an active cut |
The Same Body, Both Ways
Take one person who weighs 154 lb, which is 70 kg. On the fat-loss, moderately-active band loaded above (2.0–2.6 g/kg, or 0.91–1.18 g/lb), the per-kg route gives 2.3 × 70 = 161 g recommended, and the per-pound route gives about 1.04 × 154 = the same 161 g — with an identical 140–182 g range either way. The two coefficients cannot disagree, because one is defined as the other times 0.453592. Once you have your grams, split the full day of meals with the Macro Calculator, and set the calorie budget they sit inside with the TDEE Calculator.
Per-pound and per-kg targets are the same general estimates for healthy adults, not medical advice — related only by the exact conversion 1 lb = 0.453592 kg. Choose the unit your scale uses and ignore the other; the protein total does not change. Enter your weight on the Protein Intake Calculator for your full low–high range.
Calculations are powered by the ISSN Position Stand on Protein & Exercise (Jäger et al., 2017), the International Society of Sports Nutrition consensus on daily protein for active adults; the lean-mass band follows Helms et al. (2014) and Phillips & Van Loon (2011).
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