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Convert Kilocalories to Foot-pounds

1 kilocalorie is 3,085.960033 ft·lbf. One kilocalorie is exactly 3085.96003258 foot-pounds.

One kilocalorie is 3085.96 foot-pounds. To convert kilocalories to foot-pounds, multiply by 3085.96; to go the other way, divide by 3085.96 or multiply by 3.2405 × 10^-4. The factor is exact rather than rounded: it follows from NIST Special Publication 811. A thousand small calories, and what a food label means by "Calories" with a capital C.

Factor checked against the defining standard · How we check

Foot-pounds
3,085.960033 ft·lbf
Kilocalories × 3085.96
value * 3085.960032583,085.96 ft·lbf

1 kilocalorie in every energy unit

UnitValueExact factor
joules4,184 J× 4,184
kilojoules4.184 kJ× 4.184
calories1,000 cal× 1,000
kilocalories (as entered)1 kcal
watt-hours1.162222222 Wh× 1.16222222222
kilowatt-hours0.001162222222 kWh× 0.00116222222222
British thermal units3.965666831 BTU× 3.96566683139
foot-pounds3,085.960033 ft·lbf× 3,085.96003258

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 kilocalories to foot-pounds?

  1. 1.Take the measurement in kilocalories.
  2. 2.Multiply by 3085.96 — that is how many foot-pounds fit in one kilocalorie.
  3. 3.To go back the other way, divide by 3085.96, or multiply by 3.2405 × 10^-4.

Worked example: 25 kilocalories to foot-pounds

Formula
kcal × 3085.96 = ft·lbf
Arithmetic
25 × 3085.96 = 77,149.000815 ft·lbf
Answer
25 kcal = 77,149.000815 ft·lbf

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

Kilocalories to foot-pounds conversion table

KilocaloriesFoot-pounds
1 kcal3,085.960033 ft·lbf
2 kcal6,171.920065 ft·lbf
3 kcal9,257.880098 ft·lbf
4 kcal12,343.84013 ft·lbf
5 kcal15,429.800163 ft·lbf
6 kcal18,515.760195 ft·lbf
7 kcal21,601.720228 ft·lbf
8 kcal24,687.680261 ft·lbf
9 kcal27,773.640293 ft·lbf
10 kcal30,859.600326 ft·lbf
12 kcal37,031.520391 ft·lbf
15 kcal46,289.400489 ft·lbf
20 kcal61,719.200652 ft·lbf
25 kcal77,149.000815 ft·lbf
50 kcal154,298.001629 ft·lbf
100 kcal308,596.003258 ft·lbf
200 kcal617,192.006516 ft·lbf
300 kcal925,788.009774 ft·lbf
500 kcal1,542,980.01629 ft·lbf
1000 kcal3,085,960.03258 ft·lbf
2000 kcal6,171,920.06516 ft·lbf
5000 kcal15,429,800.1629 ft·lbf
10000 kcal30,859,600.3258 ft·lbf

What is a kilocalorie?

A thousand small calories, and what a food label means by "Calories" with a capital C. A 2,000 calorie diet is 2,000 kcal, or 8.4 megajoules.

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 kilocalorie?

One kilocalorie is 3085.96 foot-pounds. Going the other way, one foot-pound is 3.2405 × 10^-4 kilocalories. 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 foot-pounds are in a kilocalorie?
3085.96. 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 kilocalories?
Divide by 3085.96, or multiply by 3.2405 × 10^-4 — they are the same operation.

Other energy conversions

Foot-pounds to kilocalories — the same conversion the other way.

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