Difference Between Lbs and Pounds

Lbs vs Pounds

Under metric system of measurement, kilogram is the unit of mass. Pound is the unit of mass in the imperial system of measurement. The abbreviation that stands for pounds is lb that surprises many as they cannot find a connection between pounds and lb. This article attempts to take a closer look at the two terms to find a possible relation between the two.

The unit of mass in the imperial system of measurement is pound. As pound sterling happens to be the currency of Britain, to differentiate it from the currency, the chosen abbreviation of the unit of measurement has been lb. This is an acronym that has been derived from libra, the name of the unit of mass used by ancient Romans. The value of this unit in ancient times is believed to have been around 326 grams. However, under the imperial system of measurement, the value of a pound is close to 453 grams. Thus, there is no connection between the two units of mass used in different eras. Nevertheless, lb continues to be the abbreviation of pound even today. Many people add an s to lb when they talk about many pounds to indicate that they are using the plural of the abbreviation lb. However, this is a wrong practice as one can use lb for both singular as well as plural.


Lbs vs Pounds

Pounds and lbs indicate the same unit of measurement used in the imperial system. There is no difference between them though many people get confused with an abbreviation that is totally different from the word pound. This happens as the abbreviation has been taken from a unit of measurement of weight in ancient Rome that was called libra.