Last Updated on May 23, 2024 by Dan Campbell
Converting Water Column (WC) to Pounds per Square Inch (PSI) is very straightforward. You may need to reference these two measurements when working with gas appliances or other equipment, such as water pumps.. I’ll go over both types of measurements as well as include the formula to calculate the conversion below. I’ve also created a calculator, as well as included a simple chart that shows some of the standard measurements you might run into.
It’s important to know the conversion of WC to PSI especially when using equipment that is moving liquid or gas a vertical distance, such as a water pump sending water from a low-pressure source to a higher location. While the pump may be measured in PSI, knowing the WC equivalent will help you determine the height it can achieve. Or similarly, if you know the height of a structure you can calculate what PSI pump you need to move water vertically and achieve a specific PSI at the outlet.
PSI to WC Calculator
Below is a simple calculator for figuring out the conversion of PSI to WC.
PSI to WC
PSI to WC Chart
Below is a chart of some of the common measurements you might need to calculate.
| Water Column (WC) | Pounds per Square Inch (PSI) |
| 1 | 0.036 |
| 2 | 0.072 |
| 3 | 0.108 |
| 4 | 0.144 |
| 5 | 0.180 |
| 6 | 0.217 |
| 7 | 0.253 |
| 8 | 0.289 |
| 9 | 0.325 |
| 10 | 0.361 |
| 11 | 0.397 |
| 12 | 0.433 |
| 13 | 0.469 |
| 14 | 0.505 |
| 15 | 0.541 |
What is Water Column? (WC)
A water column is a unit of measurement that measures pressure and is typically used with low-pressure systems. One WC is the required pressure to move a 1in x 1in a column of water 1in. The reason some equipment may use WC as a unit of measurement over PSI is 1 WC is equivalent to 1/28 PSI or 0.036 PSI, and therefore it is easier to measure minute differences with WC over PSI.
What is PSI? (Pounds per Square Inch)
PSI is a unit of measurement that measures pressure, is more commonly used than WC, and applies to higher-pressure systems. One PSI is one pound of force applied to an area of one inch. PSI is the most common unit of measurement for pressure in the US and most appliances or equipment will use PSI over WC.
PSI to WC Formula
The Formula for calculating the conversion of PSI to WC is:
1 psi x 27.708= 1 WC
And for converting WC to PSI:
1 WC / 27.708 = 1 PSI
Hopefully this article has helped you with converting PSI to WC. If you notice any issues or have any comments, please feel free to reach out and let me know.
Thank you and God Bless!
