Skip to the calculator
Rule Calculator

Convert British thermal units to Kilojoules

1 British thermal unit is 1.055056 kJ. One British thermal unit is exactly 1.05505585262 kilojoules.

One British thermal unit is 1.0550559 kilojoules. To convert British thermal units to kilojoules, multiply by 1.0550559; to go the other way, divide by 1.0550559 or multiply by 0.94781712. The factor is exact rather than rounded: it follows from NIST Special Publication 811. The international-table BTU, fixed at exactly 1055.05585262 joules.

Factor checked against the defining standard · How we check

Kilojoules
1.055056 kJ
British thermal units × 1.0550559
value * 1.055055852621.055 kJ

1 British thermal unit in every energy unit

UnitValueExact factor
joules1,055.055853 J× 1,055.05585262
kilojoules1.055055853 kJ× 1.05505585262
calories252.1644007 cal× 252.164400722
kilocalories0.2521644007 kcal× 0.252164400722
watt-hours0.2930710702 Wh× 0.293071070172
kilowatt-hours0.0002930710702 kWh× 0.000293071070172
British thermal units (as entered)1 BTU
foot-pounds778.1692623 ft·lbf× 778.169262266

Factors are entered by hand from NIST Special Publication 811 rather than derived from a units library, so the ones that terminate are exact rather than rounded.

How do you convert British thermal units to kilojoules?

  1. 1.Take the measurement in British thermal units.
  2. 2.Multiply by 1.0550559 — that is how many kilojoules fit in one British thermal unit.
  3. 3.To go back the other way, divide by 1.0550559, or multiply by 0.94781712.

Worked example: 25 British thermal units to kilojoules

Formula
BTU × 1.0550559 = kJ
Arithmetic
25 × 1.0550559 = 26.376396 kJ
Answer
25 BTU = 26.376396 kJ

The factor is rounded for display; the figure above is computed from the full value.

British thermal units to kilojoules conversion table

British thermal unitsKilojoules
1 BTU1.055056 kJ
2 BTU2.110112 kJ
3 BTU3.165168 kJ
4 BTU4.220223 kJ
5 BTU5.275279 kJ
6 BTU6.330335 kJ
7 BTU7.385391 kJ
8 BTU8.440447 kJ
9 BTU9.495503 kJ
10 BTU10.550559 kJ
12 BTU12.66067 kJ
15 BTU15.825838 kJ
20 BTU21.101117 kJ
25 BTU26.376396 kJ
50 BTU52.752793 kJ
100 BTU105.505585 kJ
200 BTU211.011171 kJ
300 BTU316.516756 kJ
500 BTU527.527926 kJ
1000 BTU1,055.055853 kJ
2000 BTU2,110.111705 kJ
5000 BTU5,275.279263 kJ
10000 BTU10,550.558526 kJ

What is a British thermal unit?

The international-table BTU, fixed at exactly 1055.05585262 joules. Roughly the heat needed to raise a pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit, which is where it came from.

What is a kilojoule?

A thousand joules. Food energy outside the US is labelled here, alongside or instead of calories.

How many kilojoules are in a British thermal unit?

One British thermal unit is 1.0550559 kilojoules. Going the other way, one kilojoule is 0.94781712 British thermal units. Both figures come from the same defined relation rather than from a measurement, which is why they are the same today as they were in 1959.

Every energy unit here

UnitSymbolOne of these is
JoulesJthe base unit
KilojouleskJ1000 joule
Caloriescal4.184 joule
Kilocalorieskcal4184 joule
Watt-hoursWh3600 joule
Kilowatt-hourskWh3600000 joule
British thermal unitsBTU1055.0559 joule
Foot-poundsft·lbf1.3558179 joule

Source: NIST Special Publication 811 — the thermochemical calorie is exactly 4.184 J

Questions people actually ask

How many kilojoules are in a British thermal unit?
1.0550559. A thousand joules. Food energy outside the US is labelled here, alongside or instead of calories.
How do I convert kilojoules back to British thermal units?
Divide by 1.0550559, or multiply by 0.94781712 — they are the same operation.

Other energy conversions

Kilojoules to British thermal units — the same conversion the other way.

Calculators that work in energy