Engineering converters
Torque Converter
Convert N·m, lbf·ft, kgf·m and other torque units used in engines and fasteners.
Result
73.7562 lbf·ft
100 N·m = 73.7562 lbf·ft
All units for this value
| Unit | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Newton meter | N·m | 100 |
| Newton centimeter | N·cm | 10000 |
| Millinewton meter | mN·m | 100000 |
| Kilonewton meter | kN·m | 0.1 |
| Dyne centimeter | dyn·cm | 1000000000 |
| Gram-force centimeter | gf·cm | 1019720 |
| Kilogram-force meter | kgf·m | 10.1972 |
| Kilogram-force centimeter | kgf·cm | 1019.72 |
| Ounce-force inch | ozf·in | 14161.2 |
| Pound-force inch | lbf·in | 885.075 |
| Pound-force foot | lbf·ft | 73.7562 |
| Kip-force foot | kipf·ft | 0.0737562 |
About this calculator
Torque is the rotational force applied when tightening a fastener, driving a wheel, or rating an engine's twisting effort, and it's usually quoted in newton metres or pound-force feet depending on the region and industry. This converter switches between those and other torque units so specifications from a wrench, a torque spec sheet, or an engine dyno chart can be compared directly.
How it works in plain English
Torque uses the same physical units as moment of force — a force unit paired with a length unit — because both describe force acting at a distance from a pivot point. This converter treats newton metres as the shared anchor, multiplying your entered value by a factor to reach newton metres and then dividing by another factor to reach the unit you've chosen as the target, which keeps every unit pair on a single consistent path.
In practical torque settings, the units you'll see most often are newton metres for metric fastener specs and pound-force feet or pound-force inches for US automotive and tooling specs. Pound-force inches are typically used for smaller fasteners tightened to lower torque values, such as electronics or small brackets, while pound-force feet cover larger bolts, wheel lug nuts, and engine specifications. Mixing up inches and feet in a torque wrench setting is a common and costly error, so having both available side by side helps avoid that mistake.
Select the unit shown on your torque wrench or spec sheet as the from unit, choose the unit you need as the to unit, and enter the value to see the converted figure immediately. A full table lists the same torque across every supported unit at once, a precision control adjusts the number of decimal places, and a swap button flips the two chosen units in a single click.
The formula
- value_in_target = value_in_source × (source factor to N·m) ÷ (target factor to N·m)
- 1 lbf·ft = 1.3558179483314004 N·m
- 1 lbf·in = 0.1129848290276167 N·m
- 1 lbf·ft = 12 lbf·in
- 1 N·m = 0.737562149 lbf·ft
Worked example
Suppose a torque wrench spec calls for tightening a bolt to 18 lbf·ft and the workshop manual, printed for an export market, lists the equivalent in N·m. Multiply by the conversion factor: 18 × 1.3558179483314004 = 24.4047 N·m, which rounds to about 24.40 N·m.
Entering 18 into the lbf·ft field with N·m selected as the target shows 24.40 N·m right away. As a rough sanity check, one lbf·ft is a bit more than one N·m, so multiplying 18 by roughly 1.36 should land near 24, which matches the computed 24.40 closely and confirms the decimal point sits in the right place. The full unit table also confirms that same torque equals exactly 216 lbf·in, since one lbf·ft always equals 12 lbf·in, giving a quick cross-check between the two US customary units shown side by side.
Torque unit equivalents used for fasteners and engines
| Unit | Equal to (N·m) |
|---|---|
| 1 N·m | 1 |
| 1 N·cm | 0.01 |
| 1 kN·m | 1,000 |
| 1 kgf·m | 9.80665 |
| 1 kgf·cm | 0.0980665 |
| 1 lbf·in | 0.1129848290 |
| 1 lbf·ft | 1.3558179483 |
| 1 kipf·ft | 1,355.8179483 |
Standard force and length unit definitions
Frequently asked questions
Why do torque specs sometimes use lbf·in and other times lbf·ft?
Smaller fasteners and lower torque values are usually specified in pound-force inches for finer precision, since one lbf·ft equals 12 lbf·in and using inches avoids awkward fractions. Larger bolts, lug nuts, and engine specs typically use pound-force feet instead, because the numbers stay in a more convenient range. This converter handles both directly.
What happens if I mix up N·m and lbf·ft on a torque wrench?
Because 1 N·m equals about 0.7376 lbf·ft, a torque wrench set to the wrong unit can apply significantly more or less force than intended, which risks stripping threads, under-tightening a critical joint, or damaging a component. Always confirm which unit your wrench and spec sheet use, and use this converter to double-check before tightening.
Is torque the same thing as moment of force?
Physically yes, both describe a force acting at a distance from a pivot and use identical units. Torque is the term generally used in rotating machinery, engines, and fastener specifications, while moment of force is more common in static structural analysis, but the numbers and conversion factors are the same either way.
How precise should a torque conversion be for tightening a bolt?
For most fasteners, two or three decimal places in N·m or one decimal place in lbf·ft is more than sufficient, since torque wrenches themselves usually can't be set more finely than that. The precision control lets you match whatever level of detail your wrench or spec sheet requires.
Can this converter handle very high torque values, like for engines?
Yes. The unit list includes kip-force feet for very large torque values in the thousands of pound-force feet, alongside kilonewton metres for large metric figures. Engine torque ratings, which are often in the hundreds of N·m or lbf·ft, convert the same way as smaller fastener values, just scaled up.
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