Power converter
Convert kW to hp, PS to hp, watts, megawatts, BTU/h and tons of refrigeration — with all three horsepower definitions kept separate.
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1 kW = 1.3410220896 hp
Automatic formatting keeps up to 12 significant digits and switches to scientific notation only for numbers past 10¹⁸ or below 10⁻⁹. You can paste values with thousands separators, and fractions such as 3/4 or 1 1/2 are understood too.
hp = kW × 1.3410220896
Your value: 1 × 1.3410220896 = 1.3410220896 hp
Kilowatt: EV motors and appliance ratings.
Horsepower (mechanical): 550 foot-pounds per second. The US/UK car figure.
| kW | hp |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1.3410220896 |
| 5 | 6.70511044798 |
| 10 | 13.410220896 |
| 25 | 33.5255522399 |
| 50 | 67.0511044798 |
| 75 | 100.57665672 |
| 100 | 134.10220896 |
| 150 | 201.153313439 |
| 200 | 268.204417919 |
| 250 | 335.255522399 |
| 500 | 670.511044798 |
| 1,000 | 1,341.0220896 |
| hp | kW |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.745699871582 |
| 5 | 3.72849935791 |
| 10 | 7.45699871582 |
| 25 | 18.6424967896 |
| 50 | 37.2849935791 |
| 75 | 55.9274903687 |
| 100 | 74.5699871582 |
| 150 | 111.854980737 |
| 200 | 149.139974316 |
| 250 | 186.424967896 |
| 500 | 372.849935791 |
| 1,000 | 745.699871582 |
| Unit | Symbol | Value in W | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| WattSI | W | 1 W = 1 W | One joule per second. |
| MilliwattSI | mW | 1 mW = 0.001 W | — |
| KilowattSI | kW | 1 kW = 1,000 W | EV motors and appliance ratings. |
| MegawattSI | MW | 1 MW = 1,000,000 W | Power-station scale. |
| GigawattSI | GW | 1 GW = 1,000,000,000 W | — |
| Horsepower (mechanical)Horsepower | hp | 1 hp = 745.699871582 W | 550 foot-pounds per second. The US/UK car figure. |
| Horsepower (metric, PS)Horsepower | PS | 1 PS = 735.49875 W | 75 kgf·m/s. The European car figure — also written CV, pk or ch. |
| Horsepower (electrical)Horsepower | hp (E) | 1 hp (E) = 746 W | Exactly 746 W. Used on US electric motor nameplates. |
| BTU per hourThermal | BTU/h | 1 BTU/h = 0.293071070172 W | Air-conditioner and boiler ratings. |
| Ton of refrigerationThermal | TR | 1 TR = 3,516.85284207 W | 12,000 BTU/h — chiller capacity. |
| Foot-pound per secondMechanical | ft·lb/s | 1 ft·lb/s = 1.35581794833 W | — |
How to convert a power figure
- Type into either field. kW to hp and hp to kW are the same control run in either direction.
- Choose which horsepower you mean — mechanical, metric (PS) or electrical. They are three different units and the difference between the first two is about 1.4 %.
- Read the formula panel to see the exact factor applied to your number, and the chart below for a whole range at once.
Three different horsepowers
| Unit | Exact value | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical horsepower (hp) | 745.6998716 W | UK and US car and engine figures; "bhp" is this measured at the crankshaft |
| Metric horsepower (PS) | 735.49875 W exactly | Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Korea — also written CV, cv, ch or pk |
| Electrical horsepower | 746 W exactly | US electric motor nameplates |
| Boiler horsepower | 9,809.5 W | Steam boilers only; not in this converter to avoid confusion |
This is why the same car is advertised as 150 PS in Germany and 148 hp in Britain, and why converting a European figure with the wrong factor makes an engine look more powerful than it is. All three are in the unit list, labelled, so you can pick deliberately.
Cars, appliances and the numbers you meet
| Thing | kW | hp | PS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric kettle | 3 | 4.0 | 4.1 |
| Small city car | 50 | 67 | 68 |
| Family hatchback | 110 | 148 | 150 |
| Performance saloon | 250 | 335 | 340 |
| Formula 1 power unit | 735 | 986 | 1,000 |
| Large wind turbine | 3,000 | 4,023 | 4,079 |
BTU per hour, tons of refrigeration and air conditioning
Cooling capacity is quoted in BTU per hour in the US and in kilowatts almost everywhere else. The conversion is 1 kW = 3,412.14 BTU/h, so divide a BTU/h figure by 3,412 to get kilowatts. A 12,000 BTU/h unit is 3.52 kW — and 12,000 BTU/h is also, by definition, one "ton" of refrigeration, a hangover from the days when cooling was measured against the rate of melting a ton of ice in a day.
Note that an air conditioner's BTU rating describes heat moved, not electricity drawn. A 3.5 kW cooling unit might consume only 1 kW of electrical power, because a heat pump moves heat rather than creating it. Converting the units correctly will not tell you the running cost — you need the efficiency rating for that.
Power is not energy
Power is a rate: joules per second. Energy is the total: power multiplied by time. A 2 kW heater has a fixed power, but the energy it uses depends entirely on how long it runs — three hours gives 6 kWh. Every unit on this page is a rate, so if your figure has an hour in the name (kWh, BTU total, therms) it belongs on the energy converter instead.
Questions
How many horsepower is a kilowatt?
1.341 mechanical hp, or 1.3596 metric hp (PS). Car makers in Europe quote PS, so a "150 PS" engine is 148 hp and 110 kW.
What is the difference between hp, PS and bhp?
Mechanical hp is 745.7 W, metric hp (PS, CV, pk) is 735.5 W, and electrical hp is exactly 746 W. "bhp" is mechanical hp measured at the crankshaft, not a separate unit.
How do I convert an air conditioner BTU rating to kW?
Divide BTU/h by 3,412. A 12,000 BTU/h unit is 3.52 kW of cooling — also called one ton of refrigeration, which is in the list too.
What is the difference between power and energy?
Power is a rate, energy is an amount. A 2 kW heater running for three hours uses 6 kWh of energy — use the energy converter for the second half of that sum.