Calories (cal) to Foot-Pounds Force (ft·lbf) Converter
Enter a value to instantly convert between energy units.
1 Calorie (thermochemical) = 3.086 Foot-Pound Force
Key Formulas
Kilocalorie → Kilojoule
kJ = kcal × 4.184Kilojoule → Kilocalorie
kcal = kJ × 0.239006Kilowatt-Hour → Joule
J = kWh × 3600000Joule → Kilowatt-Hour
kWh = J × 2.77778e-7Formula
ft·lbf = cal ÷ 0.3238One thermochemical calorie equals about 3.088 foot-pounds force. Since 1 cal = 4.184 J and 1 ft·lbf = 1.356 J, the conversion is 4.184/1.356 = 3.088 ft·lbf per calorie. This is useful in mechanical engineering when comparing heat energy to mechanical work.
Source: NIST SP 811, Table B.8
Frequently Asked Questions
Real-World Examples
A mechanical engineer calculating 100 cal of heat energy equals 309 ft·lbf for the analysis.
100 cal = 308.8 ft·lbf
A food scientist comparing 1000 cal of food energy to mechanical work — 3088 ft·lbf.
1000 cal = 3088 ft·lbf
A student converting 10 cal to ft·lbf for a thermodynamics problem — 30.9 ft·lbf.
10 cal = 30.88 ft·lbf
A fitness calculation: 500 cal burned equals 1544 ft·lbf of mechanical work equivalent.
500 cal = 1544 ft·lbf