Inch of mercury - wikipedia Inch of mercury This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2016 ) Early American barometer calibrated in inches of mercury Inch of mercury ( inHg and `` Hg ) is a unit of measurement for pressure. It is still used for barometric pressure in weather reports, refrigeration and aviation in the United States. It is the pressure exerted by a column of mercury of 1 inch ( 25.4 mm ) in height at the standard acceleration of gravity. Conversion to metric units depends on the temperature of mercury, and hence its density ; typical conversion factors are : Conditions Pressure conventional 3386.389 pascals 32 ° F 3386.38 pascals 60 ° F 3376.85 pascals Aircraft altimeters measure the relative pressure difference between the lower ambient pressure at altitude and a calibrated reading on the ground. Within the United States and Canada, these readings are provided in inches of mercury. Ground readings vary with weather and along the route of the aircraft as it travels, so current readings are relayed periodically by air traffic control. Aircraft operating at higher altitudes ( at or above what is called the transition altitude, which varies by country ) set their barometric altimeters to a standard pressure of 29.92 inHg ( 1 atm = 29.92 inHg ) or 1013.25 hPa ( 1 hPa = 1 mbar ) regardless of the actual sea level pressure. The resulting altimeter readings are known as flight levels. Piston engine aircraft with constant - speed propellers also use inches of mercury to measure manifold pressure, which is indicative of engine power produced. In automobile racing, particularly United States Auto Club and Champ Car Indy car racing, inches of mercury was the unit used to measure turbocharger inlet pressure. However, the inch of mercury is still used today in car performance modification to measure the amount of vacuum within the engine 's intake manifold. This can be seen on boost / vacuum gauges. In air conditioning and refrigeration, inHg is often used to describe `` inches of mercury vacuum '', or pressures below ambient atmospheric pressure, for recovery of refrigerants from air conditioning and refrigeration systems, as well as for leak testing of systems while under a vacuum, and for dehydration of refrigeration systems. The low - side gauge in a refrigeration gauge manifold indicates pressures below ambient in `` inches of mercury vacuum '' ( inHg ), down to a 30 inHg vacuum. Inches of mercury is also used in automotive cooling system vacuum test and fill tools. A technician will use this tool to remove air from modern automotive cooling systems, test the systems ability to hold vacuum and subsequently refill using the vacuum as suction for the new coolant. Typical minimum vacuum values are between 22 and 27 inHg. In older literature, an `` inch of mercury '' is based on the height of a column of mercury at 60 ° F ( 15.6 ° C ) 1 inHg = 3376.85 Pa In English units : 1 inHg = 0.489 771 psi, or 2.041 771 inHg = 1 psi. See also Torr ( millimeters of mercury ) Bar ( unit ) Mercury barometer References ^ Jump up to : Barry N. Taylor, Guide for the Use of the International System of Units ( SI ), 1995, NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B ( 1 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Inch_of_mercury&oldid=768138179 '' Categories : Units of pressure Mercury ( element ) Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from May 2016 All articles needing additional references Talk About Wikipedia Català Čeština Español 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano 日本 語 Norsk Русский Scots Simple English Svenska தமிழ் 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 2 March 2017, at 00 : 54. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what does hg stand for in metric system
Answer: Inch of mercury