How to use
- Type a power rating in Value, such as 100 hp.
- Pick the From and To units. Three kinds of horsepower are listed separately.
- Read the answer. The exact factor is shown under it.
How the conversion works
Every unit has a size in watts (W). The converter turns your value into watts, then into the unit you want:
| Unit | Size |
|---|---|
| 1 horsepower (mechanical, hp) | 550 ft·lbf/s ≈ 745.7 W |
| 1 metric horsepower (PS) | 75 kgf·m/s = 735.49875 W |
| 1 electrical horsepower | 746 W |
| 1 kilowatt (kW) | 1,000 W ≈ 1.341 hp |
| 1 ton of refrigeration | 12,000 BTU/h ≈ 3.517 kW |
A metric horsepower is about 98.6% of a mechanical one, so 150 PS is about 148 hp.
Examples
- 150 hp to kW: 150 × 745.69987 W ≈ 111.85 kW
- A 110 kW engine: 147.51 hp, or 149.56 PS
- A 12,000 BTU/h air conditioner: 3.52 kW of cooling, which is 1 ton
Conversion charts
| Horsepower (hp) | Kilowatts | Metric hp (PS) |
|---|---|---|
| 75 hp | 55.9 | 76 |
| 100 hp | 74.6 | 101.4 |
| 150 hp | 111.9 | 152.1 |
| 200 hp | 149.1 | 202.8 |
| 300 hp | 223.7 | 304.2 |
| 400 hp | 298.3 | 405.5 |
| Kilowatts | hp | PS |
|---|---|---|
| 50 kW | 67.1 | 68 |
| 75 kW | 100.6 | 102 |
| 100 kW | 134.1 | 136 |
| 110 kW | 147.5 | 149.6 |
| 150 kW | 201.2 | 203.9 |
| 200 kW | 268.2 | 271.9 |
| BTU/h | Kilowatts | Tons |
|---|---|---|
| 5,000 | 1.47 | 0.42 |
| 9,000 | 2.64 | 0.75 |
| 12,000 | 3.52 | 1 |
| 18,000 | 5.28 | 1.5 |
| 24,000 | 7.03 | 2 |
| 36,000 | 10.55 | 3 |
More detail: kinds of horsepower
- Mechanical horsepower (hp, bhp): 550 foot-pounds per second. Used for US and UK car and engine ratings.
- Metric horsepower (PS, CV, pk): 75 kilogram-force meters per second. Common in European car specs next to kW.
- Electrical horsepower: exactly 746 W, used for electric motors.
- kW vs kWh: kW is a rate of power; kWh is an amount of energy. Running 1 kW for 1 hour uses 1 kWh.
- Air-conditioner tons measure cooling output, not the electricity the unit draws.
Working out energy used over time? Use the energy converter.