Orders of magnitude (pressure)

This article is about static pressure. For sound pressure see orders of magnitude (sound pressure)

This is a tabulated listing of the orders of magnitude in relation to pressure expressed in pascals. psi values, prefixed with + and -, denote values relative to Earth's sea level standard atmospheric pressure (psig); otherwise, psia is assumed.

Magnitude	Pressure	lbf/in2 or dB	Item
10−17 Pa	10 aPa		Pressure in outer space in intergalactic voids[1][2]
10−15 Pa	1–10 fPa		Pressure in outer space between stars in the Milky Way[1][3]
10−12 Pa	< 1 pPa		Lowest pressure obtained in laboratory conditions[4]
10−10 Pa
	40 pPa		Atmosphere of the Moon at lunar day,[5] very approximately (4×10−11 Pa)[citation needed]
10−10 Pa	< 100 pPa		Extreme-high vacuum[6]
	100 pPa		Atmosphere of Mercury, very approximately (1×10−10 Pa)[7]
	300 pPa		Atmosphere of the Moon at lunar night,[5] very approximately (3×10−10 Pa)[8]
10−9 Pa	< 1 nPa		Vacuum expected in the beam pipe of the Large Hadron Collider's ATLAS experiment[9] (operates at a pressure of 1 nPa to 10 nPa)[10]
	~1 nPa		Approximate solar wind pressure at Earth's distance from the Sun[11] (variable)[citation needed]
10−8 Pa	10 nPa		Pressure inside a vacuum chamber for laser cooling of atoms (magneto-optical trap)[12]
	10–700 nPa		Atmospheric pressure in low Earth orbit, around 500 km altitude[13][14]
10−7 Pa	100 nPa		Highest pressure still considered ultra-high vacuum[15][16]
10−6 Pa	0.1 - 10 μPa		Pressure inside a cathode-ray tube (approximate)[17][18]
	1 μPa		Reference pressure for sound in water[19]
	1 μPa		Pressure inside a vacuum tube (very approximate)[citation needed]
10−5 Pa	10 μPa		Radiation pressure of sunlight on a perfectly reflecting surface at the distance of the Earth.[20]
	20 μPa	0 dB	Reference pressure for sound in air[21]
	±20 μPa	0 dB	Threshold of human hearing[21]
10−4 Pa
10−3 Pa	1–100 mPa		Vacuum pressures used for molecular distillation[22]
10−2 Pa
10−1 Pa	100 mPa		Upper limit of high vacuum[15][23]
	~200 mPa		Atmospheric pressure on Pluto (1988 figure; very roughly)[24]
	737.4 mPa		Pressure exerted by a single Letter-sized 20-lb sheet of paper laid flat.
1 Pa	1 Pa		Pressure exerted by a US dollar bill resting flat on a surface[25]
	1 Pa		Upper limit of molecular distillation, where the mean free path of molecules is larger than the equipment size[citation needed]
10 Pa	10 Pa		Pressure increase per millimeter of a water column at Earth mean sea level[26]
	10 Pa		Pressure due to direct impact of a gentle breeze (~9 mph or 14 km/h)[27][28][29]
	86 Pa		Pressure from the weight of a U.S. penny lying flat[30]
102 Pa	100 Pa		Pressure due to direct impact of a strong breeze (~28 mph or 45 km/h)[27][28][31]
	120 Pa		Pressure from the weight of a U.S. quarter lying flat[32][33]
	133 Pa		1 torr ≈ 1 mmHg[34]
	±200 Pa	~140 dB	Threshold of pain pressure level for sound where prolonged exposure may lead to hearing loss[citation needed]
	±300 Pa	±0.043 psi	Lung air pressure difference moving the normal breaths of a person (only 0.3% of standard atmospheric pressure)[35][36]
	400–900 Pa	0.06–0.13 psi	Atmospheric pressure on Mars, < 1% of atmospheric sea-level pressure on Earth[37]
	610 Pa	0.089 psi	Partial vapor pressure at the triple point of water (611.657 Pa)[38][39]
103 Pa	1–10 kPa		Typical explosion peak overpressure needed to break glass windows (approximate)[40]
	2 kPa		Pressure of popping popcorn (very approximate)[41][42]
	2.6 kPa	0.38 psi	Pressure at which water boils at room temperature (22 °C) (20 mmHg)[43]
	5 kPa	0.8 psi	Blood pressure fluctuation (40 mmHg) between heartbeats for a typical healthy adult[44][45]
	6.3 kPa	0.9 psi	Pressure where water boils at normal human body temperature (37 °C), the pressure below which humans absolutely cannot survive (Armstrong limit)[46]
	+9.8 kPa	+1.4 psi	Lung pressure that a typical person can exert (74 mmHg)[47]
104 Pa	10 kPa	1.5 psi	Pressure increase per meter of a water column[26]
	10 kPa	1.5 psi	Decrease in air pressure when going from Earth sea level to 1000 m elevation[citation needed]
	+13 kPa	+1.9 psi	High air pressure for human lung, measured for trumpet player making staccato high notes[48]
	< +16 kPa	+2.3 psi	Systolic blood pressure in a healthy adult while at rest (< 120 mmHg) (gauge pressure)[44]
	+19.3 kPa	+2.8 psi	High end of lung pressure, exertable without injury by a healthy person for brief times[citation needed]
	+34 kPa	+5 psi	Level of long-duration blast overpressure (from a large-scale explosion) that would cause most buildings to collapse[49]
	34 kPa		Atmospheric pressure at the summit of Mount Everest[50]
	+70 kPa	+10 psi	Pressure for paint exiting an HVLP (low-pressure) paint spray gun[51]
	70 kPa		Pressure inside an incandescent light bulb[52]
	75 kPa		Minimum airplane cabin pressure and lowest pressure for normal breathing (at 2440 m) and also the limit stated by the Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR)[53]
	80 kPa	12 psi	Pressure inside vacuum cleaner at sea level on Earth (80% of standard atmospheric pressure)[citation needed]
	87 kPa	13 psi	Record low atmospheric pressure for typhoon/hurricane (Typhoon Tip in 1979) (only 86% of standard atmospheric pressure)[54]
105 Pa	100 kPa	15 psi	1 bar (14.5 psi),[55] approximately equal to the weight of one kilogram (1 kilopond) acting on one square centimeter[34]
	101.325 kPa	15 psi	Standard atmospheric pressure for Earth sea level (14.7 psi)[34]
	150 to > 550 kPa	25 to > 80 psi	Impact pressure of a fist punch (approximate)[citation needed][56]
	+180 to +250 kPa	+26 to +36 psi	Air pressure in an automobile tire relative to atmosphere (gauge pressure)[citation needed]
	+210 to +900 kPa	+30 to +130 psi	Air pressure in a bicycle tire relative to atmosphere (gauge pressure)[57]
	300 kPa	50 psi	Water pressure of a garden hose[58]
	300 to 700 kPa	50–100 psi	Typical water pressure of a municipal water supply in the US[59]
	358 to 524 kPa	52-76 psi	Threshold of pain for objects outside the human body hitting it[60]
	400 to 600 kPa	60–90 psi	Carbon dioxide pressure in a champagne bottle[61]
	520 kPa	75 psi	Partial vapour pressure at the triple point of carbon dioxide[62]
	+690 to +830 kPa	+100 to +120 psi	Air pressure in a heavy truck/bus tire relative to atmosphere (gauge pressure)[citation needed]
	800 kPa	120 psi	Vapor pressure of water in a kernel of popcorn when the kernel ruptures[63]
106 Pa	0.8–2 MPa	120–290 psi	Pressure used in boilers of steam locomotives[citation needed]
	1.1 MPa	162 psi	Pressure of an average human bite[citation needed]
	2.8–8.3 MPa	400–1,200 psi	Pressure of carbon dioxide propellant in a paintball gun[64]
	5 MPa	700 psi	Water pressure of the output of a coin-operated car wash spray nozzle[58]
	5 MPa	700 psi	Military submarine max. rated pressure (est.) of Seawolf-class nuclear submarine, at depth of 500 m[65][66]
	10-21 MPa	1,500–3,000 psi	Chamber pressure of a high-powered (non-carbon dioxide) air gun
	6.9–27 MPa	1,000–4,000 psi	Water spray pressure used by pressure washers[67]
	9.2 MPa	1,300 psi	Atmosphere of Venus[68]
107 Pa	> 10 MPa	> 1,500 psi	Pressure exerted by a 45 kg person wearing stiletto heels when a heel hits the floor[69]
	15.5 Mpa	2,250 psi	Primary coolant loop of a pressurized water reactor
	20 MPa	2,900 psi	Typical pressure used for hydrogenolysis reactions[70]
	21 MPa	3,000 psi	Pressure of a typical aluminium scuba tank of pressurized air (210 bar)[71]
	21 MPa	3,000 psi	Ballistic pressure exerted as high-power bullet strikes a solid bulletproof object[citation needed]
	22 MPa	3,200 psi	Critical pressure of water
	28 MPa	4,100 psi	Overpressure caused by the bomb explosion during the Oklahoma City bombing[72]
	40 MPa	5,800 psi	Water pressure at the depth of the wreck of the Titanic
	69 MPa	10,000 psi	Water pressure withstood by the DSV Shinkai 6500 in visiting ocean depths of > 6500 meters[73]
	70 to 280 MPa	10,000 to 40,000 psi	Maximal chamber pressure during a pistol firing[74]
108 Pa	110 MPa	16,000 psi	Pressure at bottom of Mariana Trench, about 11 km below ocean surface (1100 bar)[75]
	100 to 300 MPa	15,000 to 44,000 psi	Pressure inside reactor for the synthesis of high-pressure polyethylene (HPPE)[76]
	250 MPa	36,000 psi	Record diesel engine common rail fuel system pressure[77]
	400 MPa	58,000 psi	Chamber pressure of late 1910s .50 Browning machine gun discharge[citation needed]
	240–620 MPa	35,000–90,000 psi	Water pressure used in a water jet cutter[78]
109 Pa	1 GPa		Extremely high-pressure chemical reactors (10 kbar)[citation needed]
	1.5 GPa		Diamond melts using a 3 kJ laser without turning into graphite first[79]
	1.5 GPa	220,000 psi	tensile strength of Inconel 625 according to Aircraft metal strength tables and the Mil-Hdbk-5[80]
	5.8 GPa	840,000 psi	Ultimate tensile strength of the polymer Zylon
1010 Pa	10 GPa		Pressure at which octaoxygen forms at room temperature (100,000 bar)[81]
	18 GPa		Pressure needed for the first commercially successful synthesis of diamond[82]
	24 to 110 GPa		Stability range of enstatite in its perovskite-structured polymorph, possibly the most common mineral inside the Earth[citation needed]
	40 GPa		Quantum-mechanical electron degeneracy pressure in a block of copper[83]
	48 GPa		Detonation pressure of pure CL-20,[84] the most powerful high explosive in mass production
	69 GPa	10,000,000 psi	Highest water jet pressure attained in research lab[85]
	96 GPa		Pressure at which metallic oxygen forms (960,000 bar)[81]
1011 Pa	100 GPa		Theoretical tensile strength of a carbon nanotube (CNT) [86]
	130 GPa		Ultimate tensile strength of monolayer graphene[87]
	360 GPa		Pressure inside Earth's inner core (3.64 million bar)[88][89]
	495 GPa		Lower bound at which metallic hydrogen theoretically forms
	> 600 GPa		Pressure attainable with a diamond anvil cell[90]
1012 Pa	5 TPa		Pressure generated by the National Ignition Facility fusion reactor
1013 Pa	10 TPa		solid matter changes to the metastable inner-shell molecular state
	32.9 TPa		Pressure at which metallic helium theoretically forms[91]
1014 Pa	100 TPa		Pressure generated by the extremely high-pressure laser implosion plasmas generator.[92]
	208.4 TPa		Pressure at which metallic neon theoretically forms (the highest metallization pressure for any element)[93]
	540 TPa		Pressure inside an "Ivy Mike"-like nuclear bomb detonation (5.3 billion bar)[94][95]
1015 Pa	6.5 PPa		Pressure inside a W80 nuclear warhead detonation (64 billion bar)[94][96]
1016 Pa	25 PPa		Pressure inside Sun's core (250 billion bar)[97]
1023 Pa	100 EPa - 100 YPa		Pressure inside the core of a white dwarf at the Chandrasekhar limit[98]
1032 Pa	3.2-160 QPa		Pressure range inside a neutron star[99]
1035 Pa			Approximate pressure at the center of a proton[100]
...	...	...	...
10113 Pa	4.6×10113 Pa	6.7×10109 psi	The Planck pressure (4.63×10108 bar)