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Convert Kilowatts to Metric horsepower

1 kilowatt is 1.359622 PS. One kilowatt is exactly 1.3596216173 metric horsepower.

One kilowatt is 1.3596216 metric horsepower. To convert kilowatts to metric horsepower, multiply by 1.3596216; to go the other way, divide by 1.3596216 or multiply by 0.73549875. The factor is exact rather than rounded: it follows from NIST Special Publication 811. A thousand watts.

Factor checked against the defining standard · How we check

Metric horsepower
1.359622 PS
Kilowatts × 1.3596216
value * 1.35962161731.36 PS

1 kilowatt in every power unit

UnitValueExact factor
horsepower1.34102209 hp× 1.3410220896
metric horsepower1.359621617 PS× 1.3596216173
watts1,000 W× 1,000
kilowatts (as entered)1 kW
megawatts0.001 MW× 0.001
BTU per hour3,412.141633 BTU/h× 3,412.14163313

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 kilowatts to metric horsepower?

  1. 1.Take the measurement in kilowatts.
  2. 2.Multiply by 1.3596216 — that is how many metric horsepower fit in one kilowatt.
  3. 3.To go back the other way, divide by 1.3596216, or multiply by 0.73549875.

Worked example: 25 kilowatts to metric horsepower

Formula
kW × 1.3596216 = PS
Arithmetic
25 × 1.3596216 = 33.99054 PS
Answer
25 kW = 33.99054 PS

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

Kilowatts to metric horsepower conversion table

KilowattsMetric horsepower
1 kW1.359622 PS
2 kW2.719243 PS
3 kW4.078865 PS
4 kW5.438486 PS
5 kW6.798108 PS
6 kW8.15773 PS
7 kW9.517351 PS
8 kW10.876973 PS
9 kW12.236595 PS
10 kW13.596216 PS
12 kW16.315459 PS
15 kW20.394324 PS
20 kW27.192432 PS
25 kW33.99054 PS
50 kW67.981081 PS
100 kW135.962162 PS
200 kW271.924323 PS
300 kW407.886485 PS
500 kW679.810809 PS
1000 kW1,359.621617 PS
2000 kW2,719.243235 PS
5000 kW6,798.108086 PS
10000 kW13,596.216173 PS

What is a kilowatt?

A thousand watts. Electric motors, kettles and EV chargers are rated here, and a kilowatt is close to 1.34 horsepower.

What is a metric horsepower?

Exactly 75 kilogram-force metres a second, which is 1.4% less than mechanical horsepower. A German car quoted at 150 PS is 148 hp, and the difference is the definition rather than the engine.

How many metric horsepower are in a kilowatt?

One kilowatt is 1.3596216 metric horsepower. Going the other way, one metric horsepower is 0.73549875 kilowatts. 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 power unit here

UnitSymbolOne of these is
Horsepowerhp745.69987 watt
Metric horsepowerPS735.49875 watt
WattsWthe base unit
KilowattskW1000 watt
MegawattsMW1000000 watt
BTU per hourBTU/h0.29307107 watt

Source: NIST Special Publication 811 — mechanical horsepower is 550 ft·lbf/s exactly

Questions people actually ask

How many metric horsepower are in a kilowatt?
1.3596216. Exactly 75 kilogram-force metres a second, which is 1.4% less than mechanical horsepower. A German car quoted at 150 PS is 148 hp, and the difference is the definition rather than the engine.
How do I convert metric horsepower back to kilowatts?
Divide by 1.3596216, or multiply by 0.73549875 — they are the same operation.

Other power conversions

Metric horsepower to kilowatts — the same conversion the other way.