The megapascal is the standard metric unit for expressing high pressures, tensile strength, and material stiffness. One megapascal equals one million pascals, or exactly one newton per square millimetre. Engineers use it to rate the compressive strength of concrete, the yield strength of steel, and the working pressure of heavy hydraulic systems.
Heard on the job
The structural drawings specify a 35 megapascal concrete mix for the foundation slab.
Insider tip
Because one megapascal equals one newton per square millimetre, structural engineers often calculate forces directly in newtons and millimetres to yield stresses in megapascals without conversion factors.
Also heard as
- MPa