Torque converter Convert torque across SI, imperial, gravitational, and legacy units for automotive fasteners, power tools, machine settings, and calibration work.
Common presets
Torque is not energy
Newton-metres and joules share the same dimensions, but they describe different ideas. Torque measures a turning effect around an axis, while energy measures accumulated work.
Signed values are preserved
Negative torque values can represent direction in a sign convention. The converter keeps that sign across all supported units.
Enter a torque Provide a torque value to compare SI, imperial, gravitational, and legacy-unit equivalents.
A torque converter helps you move between the tightening and turning-force units used in automotive manuals, tool settings, machinery specifications, and engineering calculations. Enter a value in N·m, kN·m, ft·lb, in·lb, kgf·m, kgf·cm, ozf·in, or dyn·cm and compare every equivalent at once.
How torque conversion works
Every supported value is converted into newton-metres first, because the newton-metre is the standard SI expression for torque. Once the source value has been expressed in N·m, the calculator divides by the correct factor for foot-pounds, inch-pounds, kilogram-force metres, and the other supported units.
This lets you compare torque wrench settings, service manual values, and engineering calculations without manually chaining several conversion steps together.
1 ft·lb ≈ 1.35582 N·m
Common conversion from imperial workshop torque values into SI units.
1 N·m ≈ 8.85075 in·lb
Useful when moving between automotive and small-fastener torque specs.
1 kgf·m = 9.80665 N·m
Gravitational torque units can be converted directly into SI torque values.
Torque is not the same as force
Force measures a push or pull. Torque measures that force acting at a distance from a pivot. A one-metre lever with one newton of force applied at right angles produces one newton-metre of torque.
That distinction is why torque units can look similar to energy units without meaning the same thing. A joule and a newton-metre share the same dimensional form, but a joule describes energy while a newton-metre in this context describes rotational effect around an axis.
Where different torque units appear
Newton-metres are standard in SI engineering, product specifications, and many modern automotive manuals. Foot-pounds remain common in US vehicle, bicycle, and machinery documentation. Inch-pounds and ounce-force inches are especially useful for smaller fasteners, electronics, and fine mechanical assemblies.
Kilogram-force metres and kilogram-force centimetres still appear in workshop references, imported manuals, and older equipment literature. Dyne-centimetres are mostly legacy scientific units, but they remain useful when checking historical or specialist documents.
Further reading
NIST — Torque realization — Official NIST overview of how torque is measured and realised in national metrology work.
They share the same dimensional form, but they describe different physical ideas. A joule is energy. A newton-metre in this calculator is torque, which describes rotational effect around a pivot or shaft.
Why do automotive manuals still use foot-pounds?
Many North American service manuals and tools still use imperial conventions, so foot-pounds remain common for engine, wheel, and chassis fastener settings even when the same values can be expressed in N·m.
How do I convert inch-pounds to foot-pounds?
Divide inch-pounds by 12 to get foot-pounds, because one foot contains 12 inches. The converter does that automatically and also shows the same value in SI and gravitational torque units.
When is ounce-force inches useful?
Ounce-force inches are useful for very small torques such as electronics fasteners, light instruments, and precision assemblies where foot-pounds or even inch-pounds would be too coarse.
