Power Converter
Turn any power figure into a different unit — metric, imperial, or thermal — using exact conversion factors.
Exact factors
Every conversion runs through the watt, the SI unit of power, so a kilowatt is exactly 1,000 W — never a rounded approximation.
Display rounding
Results are shown to six decimal places, so very small or very large conversions may round the last digit.
What is a power converter?
One value, any unit
A power converter changes a measurement of power from one unit into another — kilowatts to horsepower, watts to BTU per hour, megawatts to PS, and back. It works by translating every unit through a single shared base, the watt, so any pair of units can be converted with one consistent rule. This tool covers six common units across the metric, imperial, and thermal systems, making it useful for cars, HVAC sizing, electrical work, engineering, and anywhere power ratings in different systems need to meet.
Each unit has a fixed size in watts. To convert, the value is first turned into watts, then into the target unit.
Result = value × (watts per from-unit) ÷ (watts per to-unit)Because each factor is a fixed definition in watts — kilowatt = 1,000 W, megawatt = 1,000,000 W, mechanical horsepower ≈ 745.6999 W, metric horsepower (PS) = 735.49875 W, and BTU/h ≈ 0.293071 W — the result is mathematically exact, limited only by how many decimal places are displayed. The same single rule handles every direction, so converting horsepower back to kilowatts just swaps which factor divides.
Suppose you want to convert 100 kilowatts into mechanical horsepower.
Convert to watts
One kilowatt is 1,000 watts, so 100 kW = 100,000 W.Divide by the target factor
A mechanical horsepower is about 745.6999 watts, so 100,000 ÷ 745.6999 = 134.102209.Read the result
100 kilowatts converts to about 134.102209 hp.
The converted figure is exact to the precision shown. The most common confusion is between the two kinds of horsepower: mechanical horsepower (hp) is about 745.7 W, while metric horsepower (PS) is about 735.5 W, so the same engine reads as a slightly higher PS number than its hp number — roughly 1.4% more. Metric units (W, kW, MW) scale in powers of ten, so moving the decimal point is often enough between them. BTU per hour, used to rate heating and cooling equipment, is much smaller than a watt, so a figure that looks large in BTU/h is more modest in watts than it first appears.
The arithmetic is exact; the only limit is display precision.
Rounding and unit choice
Results are rounded to six decimal places, so converting between units that differ enormously in size — BTU per hour to megawatts, for example — can lose the last digits. The converter handles power (energy per unit time) only; it does not convert energy, torque, or force, which are different physical quantities. Be sure to pick the right horsepower: car specifications in Europe usually mean PS, while UK and US figures usually mean mechanical hp. For legal, engineering, or equipment-rating work, always confirm against the governing standard for your field.