EngiRef / Fluids Engineering Formula

Hydrostatic Pressure

Hydrostatic Pressure: Pressure due to fluid column. A Fluid Statics formula in fluids engineering. Variables P, ρ, g and h, each with SI and imperial units.

Fluid Statics

Specification

Name
Hydrostatic Pressure
Discipline
fluids
Category
Fluid Statics
LaTeX
P = \rho gh
Description
Pressure due to fluid column
Conditions
Gauge pressure at depth in a constant-density fluid
Can solve for
P, ρ, h
Tags
hydrostatic, pressure, depth, static

Variables

Variables for Hydrostatic Pressure
SymbolNameUnitSi UnitImperial Unit
PPressurePaPapsi
ρFluid Densitykg/m³kg/m³slug/ft³
gGravitym/s²m/s² -
hDepthmmft

Common questions

What is the Hydrostatic Pressure formula?
Pressure due to fluid column. It sits under Fluid Statics, Fluids engineering in the EngiRef reference.
What do the symbols in the Hydrostatic Pressure formula mean?
In Hydrostatic Pressure, P is pressure in Pa; ρ is fluid density in kg/m³; g is gravity in m/s²; h is depth in m.
When does the Hydrostatic Pressure formula apply?
Hydrostatic Pressure holds under this condition: Gauge pressure at depth in a constant-density fluid.