🔧 Torque Converter

From newton meters (N·m)

From kilonewton meters (kN·m)

From newton centimeters (N·cm)

From kilogram-force meters (kgf·m)

From kilogram-force centimeters (kgf·cm)

From foot-pounds (ft·lb)

From inch-pounds (in·lb)

From inch-ounces (in·oz)

About torque conversion

Torque is force times distance, so its units are a force multiplied by a length: one newton meter is one newton applied at a radius of one meter. The imperial equivalent is the foot-pound, and one foot-pound is 1.3558179483 newton meters.

Two things cause confusion in practice. Car specifications in the US often write lb-ft where the rest of the world writes ft-lb - the word order differs but the quantity is the same, force times distance. And fasteners are rated in two imperial units: inch-pounds for small fasteners and foot-pounds for large ones, with 12 inch-pounds in a foot-pound. The kgf-m used in some Asian service manuals equals 9.80665 newton meters.

Unit equivalents

Common questions

How many foot-pounds are in a newton meter? 0.737562. One newton meter is 0.737562 ft-lb and one foot-pound is 1.355818 N-m, so a 100 N-m bolt specification is about 74 ft-lb.

Is lb-ft the same as ft-lb? In torque, yes. Both mean a pound of force acting on a one-foot lever arm, and car makers and tool manufacturers use the two orderings interchangeably.

How many inch-pounds are in a foot-pound? 12. One foot-pound is 12 inch-pounds, which is why small fasteners are specified in inch-pounds - a 10 ft-lb value becomes 120 in-lb, a range a small torque wrench can read accurately.

How do I convert kgf-m to newton meters? Multiply by 9.80665, the standard acceleration of gravity, so 10 kgf-m is 98.07 N-m. These units appear mostly in Japanese and Korean service manuals.

Torque conversion chart

Full torque conversion chart (N·m, ft-lb, in-lb, kgf·m side by side)

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