Power Converter
Convert between all common power units including watts, kilowatts, megawatts, three types of horsepower, BTU/hour, and more. Essential for automotive, electrical, and HVAC applications.
Power measures the rate of energy transfer. The SI unit is the watt (W), equal to one joule per second.
Key Conversion Factors
- 1 mechanical horsepower = 745.7 W = 550 ft·lbf/s
- 1 metric horsepower (PS) = 735.5 W
- 1 electrical horsepower = 746 W (exact)
- 1 kW = 1.341 mechanical hp
- 1 BTU/hr = 0.2931 W
- 1 ton of cooling = 12,000 BTU/hr = 3,517 W
Types of Horsepower
- Mechanical (Imperial): 550 ft·lbf/s, used in the US/UK
- Metric (PS/CV): 75 kgf·m/s, used in Europe/Asia
- Electrical: exactly 746 W, used for electric motors
The difference between mechanical and metric HP is about 1.4%.