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Horsepower Converter

Convert between mechanical, metric, electric and boiler horsepower, watts, kilowatts, BTU per hour and other power units.

What this tool does

Convert between mechanical, metric, electric and boiler horsepower, watts, kilowatts, BTU per hour and other power units. Type an amount in horsepower (mechanical, 550 ft·lbf/s), choose the units, and the tool converts it to kilowatts. It offers 8 power units and also shows the same amount in the others.

Inputs

  • Value: A number.
  • From: Choose one: Horsepower (mechanical, 550 ft·lbf/s), Horsepower (metric, PS), Horsepower (electric, 746 W), Horsepower (boiler), Watt, Kilowatt, BTU (International Table) per hour, Foot pound-force per second. Starts as Horsepower (mechanical, 550 ft·lbf/s).
  • To: Choose one of the same 8 units as "From". Starts as Kilowatt.

How to use

  1. Enter the amount you want to convert.
  2. Choose the unit to convert from and the unit to convert to.
  3. Read the result: the converted amount and the same amount in the other units. It appears once every required field has a valid value.

Worked examples

Conversions from horsepower (mechanical, 550 ft·lbf/s) to kilowatts:

  • 1 hp ≈ 0.7457 kW
  • 5 hp ≈ 3.728499 kW
  • 10 hp ≈ 7.456999 kW
  • 50 hp ≈ 37.284994 kW
  • 100 hp ≈ 74.569987 kW

Multiply the number of horsepower (mechanical, 550 ft·lbf/s) by about 0.7457 to get kilowatts. The factor follows from exact definitions. It has more digits than fit here, so it is shown rounded.

Sources: Horsepower (mechanical, 550 ft·lbf/s): exact by definition. Kilowatt: SI Brochure, 9th edition (2019, updated 2022), Table 7 (SI prefixes).

Limitations

  • Converts units of power only. It does not work out engine output from torque and speed, or motor load from amps and volts.
  • Each horsepower definition is listed separately. Pick the one your source uses.

FAQs

Q: What is the difference between the kinds of horsepower?
A: Mechanical horsepower is about 745.7 W, metric horsepower (PS) is 735.49875 W, electric horsepower is exactly 746 W and boiler horsepower is 9,809.5 W.
Q: Which horsepower does the page start with?
A: Mechanical horsepower (550 foot-pounds-force per second), the usual one in the US and UK. Change the From box for another definition.
Q: How many kilowatts is one horsepower?
A: One mechanical horsepower is about 0.7457 kW. One metric horsepower is about 0.7355 kW.

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