Torque Converter
Turn any torque into a different unit — newton-metre, pound-foot, pound-inch, kilogram-force metre, and more — using exact, published factors.
Newton-metre based
Every unit is a fixed multiple of the newton-metre, so the converter pivots through N·m for one consistent rule.
Not the same as energy
Torque shares the SI dimension of energy (N·m), but it is a different quantity — never read a torque value as joules.
What is a torque converter?
One value, any unit
A torque converter changes a reading from one unit into another — pound-foot to newton-metre, N·m to lbf·ft, kgf·m to N·m, lbf·in to N·m, and back. It works by translating every value through a single shared pivot, the newton-metre (N·m), so any pair of units converts with one consistent rule. This tool covers the six units used in automotive work, mechanics, and cycling: newton-metre, kilonewton-metre, pound-foot, pound-inch, kilogram-force metre, and ounce-force inch.
Torque is rotational force — a force applied at the end of a lever arm (force × lever-arm length). Torque units share a zero point, so converting is purely multiplicative: scale by the factor in, then by the factor out.
result = value × (N·m per from-unit) ÷ (N·m per to-unit)Because the newton-metre is the SI-coherent unit, each unit has a fixed number of N·m: 1 lbf·ft is about 1.355818 N·m, 1 kgf·m is exactly 9.80665 N·m, 1 lbf·in is exactly one-twelfth of a lbf·ft. The converter turns your value into newton-metres first, then into the unit you want — so a single rule handles every direction.
Suppose you want to convert 1 lbf·ft into newton-metres.
Convert to newton-metres
Multiply by the pound-foot factor: 1 × 1.3558179483 = 1.355818 N·m.Convert out to N·m
Divide by the N·m factor: 1.355818 ÷ 1 = 1.355818.Read the result
1 lbf·ft converts to 1.355818 N·m — so a US bolt spec of 80 lbf·ft is about 108 N·m.
Torque is rotational force — a force times the length of the lever arm it acts on — so a converted value tells you how hard a fastener is being turned. Car and motorcycle manuals list tightening torque in newton-metres or pound-feet, bicycle components in newton-metres or pound-inches, and older Japanese manuals in kilogram-force metres. Use this converter to translate between metric and US specs before you reach for a torque wrench: 1 lbf·ft ≈ 1.3558 N·m, 1 kgf·m = 9.80665 N·m, and 1 lbf·ft = 12 lbf·in. As a sanity check, a typical lug nut runs about 120 N·m (roughly 89 lbf·ft). If a number looks off by a factor of ten, check the from-unit and to-unit are not swapped — the swap arrow flips them in one click.
The arithmetic is exact; the limits are about precision and unit meaning.
Precision and torque vs energy
The kilonewton-metre and kilogram-force metre factors are exact by definition; the pound-foot, pound-inch, and ounce-force inch use the conventional NIST values derived from the international pound, foot, and standard gravity. Results are rounded to six decimal places, so conversions with long decimal tails may lose the last digit. Note that torque (N·m) and energy (the joule, also N·m) share an SI dimension but are different quantities — this tool always treats your value as torque and never relabels it as joules.