Convert Calories to Foot-pounds
1 calorie is 3.08596 ft·lbf. One calorie is exactly 3.08596003258 foot-pounds.
One calorie is 3.08596 foot-pounds. To convert calories to foot-pounds, multiply by 3.08596; to go the other way, divide by 3.08596 or multiply by 0.32404827. The factor is exact rather than rounded: it follows from NIST Special Publication 811. The thermochemical calorie: exactly 4.184 joules by definition.
Factor checked against the defining standard · How we check
- Calories × 3.08596
value * 3.085960032583.086 ft·lbf
1 calorie in every energy unit
| Unit | Value | Exact factor |
|---|---|---|
| joules | 4.184 J | × 4.184 |
| kilojoules | 0.004184 kJ | × 0.004184 |
| calories (as entered) | 1 cal | — |
| kilocalories | 0.001 kcal | × 0.001 |
| watt-hours | 0.001162222222 Wh | × 0.00116222222222 |
| kilowatt-hours | 0.000001162222222 kWh | × 0.00000116222222222 |
| British thermal units | 0.003965666831 BTU | × 0.00396566683139 |
| foot-pounds | 3.085960033 ft·lbf | × 3.08596003258 |
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 calories to foot-pounds?
- 1.Take the measurement in calories.
- 2.Multiply by 3.08596 — that is how many foot-pounds fit in one calorie.
- 3.To go back the other way, divide by 3.08596, or multiply by 0.32404827.
Worked example: 25 calories to foot-pounds
- Formula
- cal × 3.08596 = ft·lbf
- Arithmetic
- 25 × 3.08596 = 77.149001 ft·lbf
- Answer
- 25 cal = 77.149001 ft·lbf
The factor is rounded for display; the figure above is computed from the full value.
Calories to foot-pounds conversion table
| Calories | Foot-pounds |
|---|---|
| 1 cal | 3.08596 ft·lbf |
| 2 cal | 6.17192 ft·lbf |
| 3 cal | 9.25788 ft·lbf |
| 4 cal | 12.34384 ft·lbf |
| 5 cal | 15.4298 ft·lbf |
| 6 cal | 18.51576 ft·lbf |
| 7 cal | 21.60172 ft·lbf |
| 8 cal | 24.68768 ft·lbf |
| 9 cal | 27.77364 ft·lbf |
| 10 cal | 30.8596 ft·lbf |
| 12 cal | 37.03152 ft·lbf |
| 15 cal | 46.2894 ft·lbf |
| 20 cal | 61.719201 ft·lbf |
| 25 cal | 77.149001 ft·lbf |
| 50 cal | 154.298002 ft·lbf |
| 100 cal | 308.596003 ft·lbf |
| 200 cal | 617.192007 ft·lbf |
| 300 cal | 925.78801 ft·lbf |
| 500 cal | 1,542.980016 ft·lbf |
| 1000 cal | 3,085.960033 ft·lbf |
| 2000 cal | 6,171.920065 ft·lbf |
| 5000 cal | 15,429.800163 ft·lbf |
| 10000 cal | 30,859.600326 ft·lbf |
What is a calorie?
The thermochemical calorie: exactly 4.184 joules by definition. This is the small calorie — the one on a food label is a thousand of these, which is the single most common confusion in this group.
What is a foot-pound?
A pound-force acting through one foot. The same arithmetic as the torque unit of that name, and a different quantity: this one is work done, not twist applied.
How many foot-pounds are in a calorie?
One calorie is 3.08596 foot-pounds. Going the other way, one foot-pound is 0.32404827 calories. 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
| Unit | Symbol | One of these is |
|---|---|---|
| Joules | J | the base unit |
| Kilojoules | kJ | 1000 joule |
| Calories | cal | 4.184 joule |
| Kilocalories | kcal | 4184 joule |
| Watt-hours | Wh | 3600 joule |
| Kilowatt-hours | kWh | 3600000 joule |
| British thermal units | BTU | 1055.0559 joule |
| Foot-pounds | ft·lbf | 1.3558179 joule |
Source: NIST Special Publication 811 — the thermochemical calorie is exactly 4.184 J
Questions people actually ask
- How many foot-pounds are in a calorie?
- 3.08596. A pound-force acting through one foot. The same arithmetic as the torque unit of that name, and a different quantity: this one is work done, not twist applied.
- How do I convert foot-pounds back to calories?
- Divide by 3.08596, or multiply by 0.32404827 — they are the same operation.
Other energy conversions
Foot-pounds to calories — the same conversion the other way.