Torque conversion calculator
These are exact unit conversions of the figure you enter. They do not tell you the right torque for a given fastener — that comes from the spec sheet or the service manual. Always torque to the published value, in the order and sequence it calls for.
Type a torque figure, pick the unit it is written in, and the tool shows the same torque in newton-metres, foot-pounds, inch-pounds and kilogram-metres. Every unit updates live, so matching a metric spec to an imperial wrench takes one glance.
Worked example
A wheel-nut spec of 100 N·m converts to 100 ÷ 1.35582 ≈ 73.8 ft·lb, or 885 in·lb, or about 10.2 kgf·m. Set your ft·lb wrench to 74 and you have matched the metric figure.
The formula
N·m = ft·lb × 1.35582 = in·lb × 0.112985 = kgf·m × 9.80665
Everything routes through the newton-metre as the common unit: the entered value is converted to N·m first, then out to each of the others by its own factor. Because every factor is an exact physical definition, the round trip closes to the last digit.
Questions
- How do I convert foot-pounds to newton-metres?
- Multiply foot-pounds by 1.35582. So 100 ft·lb is 135.6 N·m. Going the other way, divide N·m by that same figure. This tool takes whatever unit you enter and shows all four at once, so you never have to remember which way the multiplier runs.
- Is a foot-pound the same as a pound-foot?
- For torque, people write it both ways and mean the same thing — a force of one pound acting one foot from the axis. Strictly, "pound-foot" is the torque and "foot-pound" is a unit of energy, but every torque wrench in the shop is marked ft·lb, so that is the label used here.
- What is a kilogram-metre of torque?
- It is an older metric unit, kgf·m, still printed on some spec sheets and Japanese-market tools. One kgf·m is 9.80665 N·m, because it is the torque from one kilogram of force at one metre. The tool includes it so an old figure and a modern wrench can be matched up.
- How many inch-pounds are in a foot-pound?
- Twelve, since a foot is twelve inches. Small fasteners are often specced in inch-pounds to avoid tiny decimals — 90 in·lb is 7.5 ft·lb. Enter either and the tool fills in the rest, which saves fumbling the ÷12 on a cold morning.
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