mmHg

Units & Measurements abbreviation · Engineering Unit

mmHg
Stands forMillimeter of mercury
CategoriesUnits & Measurements

mmHg stands for Millimeter of mercury, an engineering unit abbreviation.

Pressure equal to the push of a 1 mm column of mercury, about 133.3 pascals. Blood pressure is measured in mmHg worldwide: 120/80 mmHg is the classic normal reading.

Example: Her blood pressure was 128/82 mmHg at the follow-up visit.

Usage notes

Mercury sphygmomanometers have largely been replaced by electronic devices, but the unit remains standard in medicine. Normal atmospheric pressure is 760 mmHg, nearly identical to the torr, named after Evangelista Torricelli, who invented the mercury barometer in 1643. Under 2017 US guidelines, readings of 130/80 mmHg or higher count as stage 1 hypertension.

More engineering unit abbreviations

  • MBH – Thousand BTU per hour
  • Mcf – Thousand cubic feet
  • MFD – Microfarad
  • MHz – Megahertz
  • MJ – Megajoule
  • MMBtu – Million British thermal units
  • MPa – Megapascal
  • MPG – Miles per gallon
  • MPGe – Miles per gallon equivalent
  • mph – Miles per hour
  • mV – Millivolt
  • MW – Megawatt

See all 103 engineering unit abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.