Convert Calorie to Foot-pound
1 calorie = 3.08596 foot-pound (ft·lbf). For example, 10 calorie = 30.8596 foot-pound and 100 calorie = 308.596 foot-pound. Type any value below to convert calorie to foot-pound both ways — it runs entirely in your browser.
Torque vs energy: Foot-pound (ft·lbf) is used both as a unit of ENERGY — where 1 N·m = 1 joule exactly — and as a unit of TORQUE (a twisting force × distance). This page converts the ENERGY meaning, so the figures above are correct for work and heat. A newton-metre of torque is a different physical quantity and does NOT convert into joules, kilowatt-hours or calories.
Quick answer: Calorie to Foot-pound
1 Calorie = 3.08596 Foot-pound (cal → ft·lbf). To convert calorie to foot-pound, multiply by 3.08596. To convert foot-pound to calorie, multiply by 0.3240483. The converter at the top does this instantly and both ways; the sections below give the formula, worked examples, a full conversion chart and answers to the most common calorie-to-foot-pound questions.
How to convert Calorie to Foot-pound
To convert calorie to foot-pound, multiply the number of calorie by the conversion factor 3.08596, because 1 cal = 3.08596 ft·lbf. The conversion is linear, so the same factor works for any value — whole numbers, decimals or fractions. For the reverse direction, 1 ft·lbf = 0.3240483 cal, so you divide by 3.08596 (or multiply by 0.3240483) to turn foot-pound back into calorie.
ft·lbf = cal × 3.08596 ·
cal = ft·lbf × 0.3240483
- Write down the value you want to convert, in calorie.
- Multiply it by 3.08596.
- The result is the same area/length/quantity expressed in foot-pound.
Calorie to Foot-pound — worked examples
Each row shows the exact arithmetic so you can follow the conversion step by step. For example, 5 calorie is 15.4298 foot-pound because 5 cal × 3.08596 = 15.4298 ft·lbf.
| Calorie | Calculation | Foot-pound |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cal | 1 cal × 3.08596 = 3.08596 ft·lbf | 3.08596 ft·lbf |
| 2 cal | 2 cal × 3.08596 = 6.17192 ft·lbf | 6.17192 ft·lbf |
| 3 cal | 3 cal × 3.08596 = 9.25788 ft·lbf | 9.25788 ft·lbf |
| 5 cal | 5 cal × 3.08596 = 15.4298 ft·lbf | 15.4298 ft·lbf |
| 7 cal | 7 cal × 3.08596 = 21.60172 ft·lbf | 21.60172 ft·lbf |
| 10 cal | 10 cal × 3.08596 = 30.8596 ft·lbf | 30.8596 ft·lbf |
| 12 cal | 12 cal × 3.08596 = 37.03152 ft·lbf | 37.03152 ft·lbf |
| 15 cal | 15 cal × 3.08596 = 46.2894 ft·lbf | 46.2894 ft·lbf |
| 20 cal | 20 cal × 3.08596 = 61.7192 ft·lbf | 61.7192 ft·lbf |
| 25 cal | 25 cal × 3.08596 = 77.149 ft·lbf | 77.149 ft·lbf |
| 50 cal | 50 cal × 3.08596 = 154.298 ft·lbf | 154.298 ft·lbf |
| 100 cal | 100 cal × 3.08596 = 308.596 ft·lbf | 308.596 ft·lbf |
Common Calorie to Foot-pound conversions
These are the calorie-to-foot-pound values people look up most often. Every figure is computed from the exact factor, so you can rely on them for quick reference:
- 1 calorie = 3.08596 foot-pound
- 2 calorie = 6.17192 foot-pound
- 2.5 calorie = 7.7149 foot-pound
- 3 calorie = 9.25788 foot-pound
- 4 calorie = 12.34384 foot-pound
- 5 calorie = 15.4298 foot-pound
- 6 calorie = 18.51576 foot-pound
- 7 calorie = 21.60172 foot-pound
- 8 calorie = 24.68768 foot-pound
- 9 calorie = 27.77364 foot-pound
- 10 calorie = 30.8596 foot-pound
- 12 calorie = 37.03152 foot-pound
- 15 calorie = 46.2894 foot-pound
- 20 calorie = 61.7192 foot-pound
- 25 calorie = 77.149 foot-pound
- 30 calorie = 92.5788 foot-pound
- 50 calorie = 154.298 foot-pound
- 75 calorie = 231.447 foot-pound
- 100 calorie = 308.596 foot-pound
- 200 calorie = 617.192 foot-pound
- 500 calorie = 1,542.98 foot-pound
- 1000 calorie = 3,085.96 foot-pound
Calorie to Foot-pound conversion chart (both directions)
The chart below converts calorie to foot-pound and foot-pound to calorie side by side, so it works whichever way you need. 1 calorie = 3.08596 foot-pound, and 1 foot-pound = 0.3240483 calorie.
| Calorie → Foot-pound | Foot-pound → Calorie |
|---|---|
| 0.25 cal = 0.77149 ft·lbf | 0.25 ft·lbf = 0.08101207 cal |
| 0.5 cal = 1.54298 ft·lbf | 0.5 ft·lbf = 0.1620241 cal |
| 1 cal = 3.08596 ft·lbf | 1 ft·lbf = 0.3240483 cal |
| 2 cal = 6.17192 ft·lbf | 2 ft·lbf = 0.6480965 cal |
| 3 cal = 9.25788 ft·lbf | 3 ft·lbf = 0.9721448 cal |
| 4 cal = 12.34384 ft·lbf | 4 ft·lbf = 1.296193 cal |
| 5 cal = 15.4298 ft·lbf | 5 ft·lbf = 1.620241 cal |
| 6 cal = 18.51576 ft·lbf | 6 ft·lbf = 1.94429 cal |
| 7 cal = 21.60172 ft·lbf | 7 ft·lbf = 2.268338 cal |
| 8 cal = 24.68768 ft·lbf | 8 ft·lbf = 2.592386 cal |
| 9 cal = 27.77364 ft·lbf | 9 ft·lbf = 2.916434 cal |
| 10 cal = 30.8596 ft·lbf | 10 ft·lbf = 3.240483 cal |
| 12 cal = 37.03152 ft·lbf | 12 ft·lbf = 3.888579 cal |
| 15 cal = 46.2894 ft·lbf | 15 ft·lbf = 4.860724 cal |
| 20 cal = 61.7192 ft·lbf | 20 ft·lbf = 6.480965 cal |
| 25 cal = 77.149 ft·lbf | 25 ft·lbf = 8.101207 cal |
| 30 cal = 92.5788 ft·lbf | 30 ft·lbf = 9.721448 cal |
| 40 cal = 123.4384 ft·lbf | 40 ft·lbf = 12.96193 cal |
| 50 cal = 154.298 ft·lbf | 50 ft·lbf = 16.20241 cal |
| 75 cal = 231.447 ft·lbf | 75 ft·lbf = 24.30362 cal |
| 100 cal = 308.596 ft·lbf | 100 ft·lbf = 32.40483 cal |
| 150 cal = 462.894 ft·lbf | 150 ft·lbf = 48.60724 cal |
| 200 cal = 617.192 ft·lbf | 200 ft·lbf = 64.80965 cal |
| 250 cal = 771.49 ft·lbf | 250 ft·lbf = 81.01207 cal |
| 500 cal = 1,542.98 ft·lbf | 500 ft·lbf = 162.0241 cal |
| 1000 cal = 3,085.96 ft·lbf | 1000 ft·lbf = 324.0483 cal |
Calorie vs Foot-pound: which is bigger?
A calorie is the larger unit: one calorie equals 3.08596 foot-pounds. Put another way, you need 3.08596 foot-pounds to make a single calorie.
What is a Calorie? History, origin and usage
The calorie — from the Latin calor, “heat” — was introduced as a heat unit by Nicolas Clément in lectures around 1819-1824. The small (gram) calorie is roughly the heat needed to warm one gram of water by one degree Celsius; the modern thermochemical calorie is fixed at exactly 4.184 joules.
In chemistry and physics “cal” usually means the small calorie, used for reaction heats and specific-heat work, though the joule has officially replaced it within SI since 1948. In nutrition the capital-C “Calorie” actually means a kilocalorie — a thousand of these small calories.
The confusing food “Calorie” is really a kilocalorie: the nutritionist Wilbur Atwater popularised the capital-C convention in 1887, following Marcellin Berthelot’s 1879 distinction. So a 200-“Calorie” snack actually holds 200,000 of the physicists’ small calories.
What is a Foot-pound? History, origin and usage
The foot-pound is a traditional British and American unit of work, defined as the energy transferred when one pound-force acts through a distance of one foot. It predates the metric joule and grew out of practical engineering in the imperial system, where force was measured in pounds-force and distance in feet.
The foot-pound survives in US engineering and especially in firearms ballistics, where the muzzle energy of a bullet is almost always quoted in foot-pounds. Its near-twin, the pound-foot (lbf·ft), is the everyday US unit of torque for engines and fasteners.
One foot-pound is about 1.356 joules — roughly the energy needed to lift a one-pound weight one foot. The foot-pound of energy and the pound-foot of torque carry the same number but describe different quantities, so careful writers add “of energy” or “of torque” to avoid confusion.
Convert 1 Calorie to other units
It can help to see a calorie next to the other units it is commonly compared with. One calorie (cal) is equal to:
| 1 Calorie equals | Unit |
|---|---|
| 4.184 J | Joule |
| 4.184 N·m | Newton-metre |
| 0.004184 kJ | Kilojoule |
| 0.000004184 MJ | Megajoule |
| 0.001162222 Wh | Watt-hour |
| 0.000001162222 kWh | Kilowatt-hour |
| 0.000000001162222 MWh | Megawatt-hour |
| 3.08596 ft·lbf | Foot-pound |
| 26,114,470,000,000 MeV | Megaelectronvolt |
| 0.001 kcal | Kilocalorie |
| 0.003965667 BTU | British Thermal Unit |
Convert 1 Foot-pound to other units
One foot-pound (ft·lbf) is equal to:
| 1 Foot-pound equals | Unit |
|---|---|
| 1.355818 J | Joule |
| 1.355818 N·m | Newton-metre |
| 0.001355818 kJ | Kilojoule |
| 0.000001355818 MJ | Megajoule |
| 0.0003766161 Wh | Watt-hour |
| 0.0000003766161 kWh | Kilowatt-hour |
| 0.0000000003766161 MWh | Megawatt-hour |
| 8,462,350,000,000 MeV | Megaelectronvolt |
| 0.3240483 cal | Calorie |
| 0.0003240483 kcal | Kilocalorie |
| 0.001285067 BTU | British Thermal Unit |
Tips for converting Calorie to Foot-pound
- To go from calorie to foot-pound, multiply by 3.08596; to go back, divide by 3.08596 (or multiply by 0.3240483).
- For a quick mental estimate, remember that 1 calorie ≈ 3.08596 foot-pound, so 10 calorie ≈ 30.8596 foot-pound.
- The converter above keeps full precision; the tables round for readability, so use the tool for exact figures.
- Both fields update live as you type — change either side to convert in that direction.
How to use this Calorie to Foot-pound converter
Type a number into the Calorie field and the equivalent in Foot-pound appears instantly — there is no “convert” button to press and nothing is sent to a server, so it works offline once the page has loaded and is safe for any data. You can also type into the Foot-pound field to convert the other way (foot-pound to calorie). Use the swap control to flip the two units, and copy the result with a single click. Because the calculation runs in your browser with full floating-point precision, the converter is more exact than the rounded figures shown in the reference chart above — use the chart for quick look-ups and the tool for precise work.
Accuracy and method
Every figure on this page — the formula, the worked examples, the conversion chart and the “convert to other units” tables — is computed from a single verified conversion factor (1 cal = 3.08596 ft·lbf), never copied from a hand-typed lookup table that could drift. That factor is derived from each unit’s definition in terms of a common base unit, and an automated check re-verifies all of the site’s factors on every update, so the numbers here stay correct over time. This matters for calorie-to-foot-pound conversions because a small rounding error in a published table compounds quickly at larger quantities; computing from the exact factor avoids that.
Sources
- NIST Special Publication 811 — Guide for the Use of the SI — publishes the exact metric equivalents of the customary units. The inch, foot, yard and mile are defined exactly in metres by the 1959 international yard-and-pound agreement, so every imperial figure on this page is exact, not rounded.
- BIPM — The International System of Units (SI Brochure) — the defining document for the SI, published by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. It fixes the base unit that this conversion resolves to, which is why the factor here can be exact rather than approximate.
<strong>Torque vs energy:</strong> {torqueNote}
Frequently asked questions
- How many foot-pound are in 1 calorie?
- 1 calorie = 3.08596 foot-pound (ft·lbf). To convert any number of calorie to foot-pound, multiply by 3.08596.
- How do I convert calorie to foot-pound?
- Multiply the number of calorie by 3.08596. For example, 10 calorie = 10 × 3.08596 = 30.8596 foot-pound, and 25 calorie = 77.149 foot-pound.
- How many calorie are in 1 foot-pound?
- 1 foot-pound = 0.3240483 calorie. So to convert foot-pound back to calorie, multiply by 0.3240483.
- What is the formula to convert calorie to foot-pound?
- foot-pound = calorie × 3.08596. The reverse formula is calorie = foot-pound × 0.3240483.
- How much is 100 calorie in foot-pound?
- 100 calorie = 308.596 foot-pound. (And 1000 calorie = 3,085.96 foot-pound.)
- Which is bigger, a calorie or a foot-pound?
- A calorie is larger: 1 calorie = 3.08596 foot-pound.
- Is this calorie to foot-pound converter accurate?
- Yes — every value is computed from the exact 3.08596 ft·lbf per cal factor (not rounded look-up tables), and the factors are re-verified automatically on every update.
- Can I convert foot-pound to calorie too?
- Yes. The converter works both ways — enter a value in either field. 1 foot-pound = 0.3240483 calorie.