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To convert a pressure from bar to megapascals (MPa), divide by 10.
Both units are decimal multiples of the pascal — 1 bar = 100,000 Pa and 1 MPa = 1,000,000 Pa — so the conversion is an exact one-digit decimal shift: move the point one place left.
A hydrogen refueling station dispenses at 700 bar, and the vessel standard you are reviewing is written in MPa:
The two families of hydrogen systems are in fact named this way: "350 bar" and "700 bar" in station marketing, "35 MPa" and "70 MPa" in the ISO and SAE standards describing the same hardware.
| bar | MPa |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.1 |
| 6 | 0.6 |
| 10 | 1 |
| 160 | 16 |
| 350 | 35 |
| 700 | 70 |
European industrial practice runs on bar — hydraulic power units (200–300 bar), pneumatic networks (6–8 bar), pressure-relief valve set points, PN flange ratings. But the formal documents governing that same equipment speak MPa: the Pressure Equipment Directive's harmonized standards, ISO hydraulic specifications, and effectively all Japanese and Chinese technical documentation. Anyone moving between a gauge, a datasheet and a standard therefore shifts the decimal point several times a day. The direction is easy to memorize by magnitude: MPa is the bigger unit, so the number always gets smaller going bar → MPa. If a converted value grew by ten, it went the wrong way — a slip that matters when 25 bar misread as 250 bar decides a pipe schedule.
How many bar are in one megapascal? One megapascal (MPa) contains 10 bar (bar) — the inverse of the factor above. Multiplying by 0.1 takes you from bar to megapascals; multiplying by 10 brings you back.
Put in words: one bar equals 0.1 megapascals, so the bar is the smaller unit of this pair. Converting between them never changes the amount of pressure being measured — only the size of the unit you count it in.
The bar is a metric unit of pressure.
It is defined as exactly 100 kilopascals (kPa), or 100,000 Pascals (Pa).
Although it is not an official part of the International System of Units (SI), it is widely accepted for use with the SI. The bar is a popular unit for measuring pressure because it is very close to the average atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level.
The term "bar" comes from the Greek word βάρος (baros), which means "weight."
The unit was introduced by British meteorologist William Napier Shaw in 1909. It is still widely used in meteorology, oceanography, and engineering.
A common point of confusion is the difference between a bar and a standard atmosphere (atm).
While they are very close in value, they are not the same:
This means 1 bar is approximately equal to 0.987 atm. Because it's so close to atmospheric pressure and is a round number (100 kPa), the bar is a very convenient unit for many applications.
The bar is a versatile unit used to measure pressure in many industrial and everyday contexts.
Common examples include:
If you've ever looked at engineering specifications, construction materials, or high-pressure equipment, you've likely seen the term 'MPa.'
A megapascal (MPa) is a unit of pressure in the metric system, equal to one thousand kilopascals (1000 kPa).
The plural form is megapascals.
The megapascal (MPa) is a fundamental unit for quantifying the strength of materials in engineering and construction.
It is commonly used to express a material's ultimate tensile strength (the maximum stress it can withstand while being pulled apart) and compressive strength (its resistance to being squeezed).
For example, structural steel might have a tensile strength of 400 MPa. In comparison, high-performance concrete can have a compressive strength exceeding 80 MPa.
Understanding how to convert megapascals to other pressure units is crucial for global applications.
Here are the most common conversions:
The pound per square inch (PSI) is a unit commonly used in the United States for measuring tire pressure and hydraulic systems.
The bar is a unit often used in Europe for weather forecasting and scuba diving.
Megapascals are used to describe immense pressures found in both natural and industrial settings.
The water pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the ocean, is about 108.6 MPa.
In industry, a high-pressure waterjet cutter operates at pressures ranging from 200 to 600 MPa, demonstrating enough force to slice through metal and stone.
Here are some quick reference conversions from bar (bar) to megapascal (MPa):
| bar | megapascals |
|---|---|
| 0.000001 bar | 10-7 MPa |
| 0.001 bar | 10-4 MPa |
| 0.1 bar | 0.01 MPa |
| 1 bar | 0.1 MPa |
| 2 bar | 0.2 MPa |
| 3 bar | 0.3 MPa |
| 4 bar | 0.4 MPa |
| 5 bar | 0.5 MPa |
| 6 bar | 0.6 MPa |
| 7 bar | 0.7 MPa |
| 8 bar | 0.8 MPa |
| 9 bar | 0.9 MPa |
| 10 bar | 1 MPa |
| 20 bar | 2 MPa |
| 30 bar | 3 MPa |
| 40 bar | 4 MPa |
| 50 bar | 5 MPa |
| 100 bar | 10 MPa |
| 1000 bar | 100 MPa |
| 10000 bar | 1000 MPa |
Engineering datasheets across Europe write bar to megapascal several different ways. The calculation is the same in every one of them.
| Language | Written as | Unit names |
|---|---|---|
| French | bar en MPa | bar → mégapascal |
| Spanish | bar a MPa | bar → megapascal |
| Dutch | bar naar MPa | bar → megapascal |
| German | bar in MPa | Bar → Megapascal |
| Polish | bar na MPa | bar → megapaskal |
For all Pressure converters, choose units using the From/To dropdowns above.