Torque Converter

1. Enter the value you want to convert.
2. Choose the from unit.
3. Choose the to unit.
4. Read the result and the conversion rate.

Here is what each result means:

Torque is the turning effect of a force, the twist that tightens a bolt or spins a shaft. It is measured as a force multiplied by the distance from the pivot, so its units pair a force with a length. Because engineering happens in both metric and imperial systems, torque figures appear in several units, and a spec sheet or wrench might use any of them.

The SI unit is the newton-metre, a force of one newton acting at one metre from the pivot. Imperial units pair pounds and ounces of force with feet and inches, giving pound-feet, pound-inches and ounce-inches. Kilogram-force metres, common in older European specifications, use the pull of gravity on a kilogram as the force.

This converter bridges every unit through the newton-metre. It multiplies your value by the newton-metres in its unit, then divides by the newton-metres in the target unit. Because each unit has a fixed value in newton-metres, the conversions are exact and never change.

It is worth noting that torque and energy share the same dimensions, force times distance, so a newton-metre and a joule are numerically the same size. They are kept apart because they mean different things: energy is work done, while torque is a turning effect, and torque is never written in joules.

It converts through the newton-metre, the SI unit of torque.

1. Your value is multiplied by its unit's value in newton-metres.
2. That gives the torque in newton-metres, the common base.
3. Dividing by the target unit's value in newton-metres gives the result.

For the physics of torque, see the torque calculator and the force calculator.

Convert 100 newton-metres to pound-feet.

Result: 100 Nm divided by 1.3558 newton-metres per pound-foot gives about 73.8 lb-ft. A wrench set to 50 lb-ft, by contrast, is about 67.8 newton-metres.

Every unit has a fixed value in newton-metres.

Pound-feet are common for car and bicycle work, while pound-inches and ounce-inches suit smaller fasteners and instruments. Kilogram-force metres turn up in older manuals, and kilonewton-metres in large structural engineering.

The two systems pair different forces and lengths.

One pound-foot is about 1.356 newton-metres, so metric figures are a little larger in number for the same twist. Torque wrenches often show both scales, which is why converting between them is a routine workshop task.

The Two Units

The ratio between the from-unit and to-unit sets the result; each has a fixed value in newton-metres.

Feet Versus Inches

A pound-foot is twelve pound-inches, so mixing them up is a factor-of-twelve error.

Torque Versus Energy

Both are force times distance, but torque is a turning effect and is never written in joules.

Mechanics and DIY

Set a torque wrench when the spec is in a different unit from the tool.

Engineering

Move between newton-metres and imperial units in design work.

Motoring

Compare an engine's torque quoted in pound-feet with a figure in newton-metres.

1. Mixing Feet and Inches

A pound-foot is twelve pound-inches. Confusing them is a large error on a fastener.

2. Writing Torque in Joules

Although a newton-metre equals a joule, torque is not energy and should keep its own unit.

3. Wrong Direction

Check which unit is the from and which is the to; swapping them inverts the result.

4. Forgetting Kgf-m

A kilogram-force metre is about 9.8 newton-metres, not 1, because it uses the weight of a kilogram.

5. Over-tightening from a Bad Conversion

A wrong conversion can strip a thread. Double-check the unit before setting a wrench.

Conversions use fixed factors relative to the newton-metre.

About 73.8 lb-ft. One pound-foot is 1.3558 newton-metres, so 100 newton-metres divided by 1.3558 is roughly 73.8.

Divide newton-metres by 1.3558. So 200 Nm is about 147.5 lb-ft. To go the other way, multiply pound-feet by 1.3558.

The newton-metre, a force of one newton at one metre from the pivot. Imperial work often uses pound-feet instead.

Numerically yes, since both are force times distance. But torque is a turning effect, not energy, so it is written in newton-metres, not joules.

Twelve. A pound-foot is a force applied at one foot, and a foot is twelve inches, so it equals twelve pound-inches.

A kilogram-force metre, the torque from the weight of one kilogram acting at one metre. It is about 9.8 newton-metres and appears in older specifications.

So they can be set in either metric or imperial units. Converting lets you match a spec in one unit to a wrench marked in another.

No. It converts the torque value between units. The physics of a force applied at an angle is handled by the torque calculator.

No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere, unless you choose Save, which keeps the result only on this device.

• Newton metre (Wikipedia).
• Torque (Wikipedia).
• Pound-foot (torque) (Wikipedia).