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Kilowatts to Horsepower Converter

Convert kilowatts to horsepower and back, for mechanical, metric and electric horsepower.

What this tool does

Convert kilowatts to horsepower and back, for mechanical, metric and electric horsepower. Type an amount in kilowatts, choose the units, and the tool converts it to horsepower (mechanical, 550 ft·lbf/s). It offers 5 power units and also shows the same amount in the others.

Inputs

  • Value: A number.
  • From: Choose one: Kilowatt, Horsepower (mechanical, 550 ft·lbf/s), Horsepower (metric, PS), Horsepower (electric, 746 W), Watt. Starts as Kilowatt.
  • To: Choose one of the same 5 units as "From". Starts as Horsepower (mechanical, 550 ft·lbf/s).

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

  • 1 kW ≈ 1.341022 hp
  • 5 kW ≈ 6.70511 hp
  • 10 kW ≈ 13.410221 hp
  • 50 kW ≈ 67.051104 hp
  • 100 kW ≈ 134.102209 hp

Multiply the number of kilowatts by about 1.341022 to get horsepower (mechanical, 550 ft·lbf/s). The factor follows from exact definitions. It has more digits than fit here, so it is shown rounded.

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

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: How many horsepower is one kilowatt?
A: One kilowatt is about 1.341 mechanical horsepower and 1.360 metric horsepower (PS).
Q: How do I convert horsepower to kilowatts?
A: Choose a horsepower type in the From box and kilowatt in the To box. One mechanical horsepower is about 0.7457 kW.
Q: Which horsepower does the page start with?
A: Mechanical horsepower. Horsepower comes in several definitions. Mechanical horsepower (hp) is 550 foot-pounds-force per second and is the usual one in the US and UK, metric horsepower (PS) is 75 kilogram-force meters per second and is common in Europe and Asia, and electric horsepower is exactly 746 W.

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