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Convert Foot-pounds to Calories

1 foot-pound is 0.324048 cal. One foot-pound is exactly 0.32404826681 calories.

One foot-pound is 0.32404827 calories. To convert foot-pounds to calories, multiply by 0.32404827; to go the other way, divide by 0.32404827 or multiply by 3.08596. The factor is exact rather than rounded: it follows from NIST Special Publication 811. A pound-force acting through one foot.

Factor checked against the defining standard · How we check

Calories
0.324048 cal
Foot-pounds × 0.32404827
value * 0.324048266810.324 cal

1 foot-pound in every energy unit

UnitValueExact factor
joules1.355817948 J× 1.35581794833
kilojoules0.001355817948 kJ× 0.00135581794833
calories0.3240482668 cal× 0.32404826681
kilocalories0.0003240482668 kcal× 0.00032404826681
watt-hours0.0003766160968 Wh× 0.000376616096759
kilowatt-hours0.0000003766160968 kWh× 0.000000376616096759
British thermal units0.001285067463 BTU× 0.00128506746346
foot-pounds (as entered)1 ft·lbf

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 foot-pounds to calories?

  1. 1.Take the measurement in foot-pounds.
  2. 2.Multiply by 0.32404827 — that is how many calories fit in one foot-pound.
  3. 3.To go back the other way, divide by 0.32404827, or multiply by 3.08596.

Worked example: 25 foot-pounds to calories

Formula
ft·lbf × 0.32404827 = cal
Arithmetic
25 × 0.32404827 = 8.101207 cal
Answer
25 ft·lbf = 8.101207 cal

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

Foot-pounds to calories conversion table

Foot-poundsCalories
1 ft·lbf0.324048 cal
2 ft·lbf0.648097 cal
3 ft·lbf0.972145 cal
4 ft·lbf1.296193 cal
5 ft·lbf1.620241 cal
6 ft·lbf1.94429 cal
7 ft·lbf2.268338 cal
8 ft·lbf2.592386 cal
9 ft·lbf2.916434 cal
10 ft·lbf3.240483 cal
12 ft·lbf3.888579 cal
15 ft·lbf4.860724 cal
20 ft·lbf6.480965 cal
25 ft·lbf8.101207 cal
50 ft·lbf16.202413 cal
100 ft·lbf32.404827 cal
200 ft·lbf64.809653 cal
300 ft·lbf97.21448 cal
500 ft·lbf162.024133 cal
1000 ft·lbf324.048267 cal
2000 ft·lbf648.096534 cal
5000 ft·lbf1,620.241334 cal
10000 ft·lbf3,240.482668 cal

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.

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.

How many calories are in a foot-pound?

One foot-pound is 0.32404827 calories. Going the other way, one calorie is 3.08596 foot-pounds. 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 calories are in a foot-pound?
0.32404827. 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.
How do I convert calories back to foot-pounds?
Divide by 0.32404827, or multiply by 3.08596 — they are the same operation.

Other energy conversions

Calories to foot-pounds — the same conversion the other way.

Calculators that work in energy