kW to Hp: Kilowatts to Horsepower Calculator
A kilowatts-to-horsepower (kW-to-hp) calculator allows us to convert kilowatts to horsepower. Both kilowatts and horsepower are units of measure that quantify power; however, kilowatts are used in the metric system (also known as “SI”), whilst horsepower is an Imperial system unit of measure. At times, the power of machinery and equipment rated in kilowatts needs to be converted into horsepower, and to facilitate this conversion, we can use either a kW-to-hp calculator or perform the calculations manually.
The kW-to-hp calculator below executes the conversion for you right here on the computer screen, whilst the manual conversion requires you to use a formula. Since there are several types of horsepower, there are several formulae you can use to convert kilowatts to the required type of horsepower. In the article below, you will find out how to use the online kW-to-hp calculator and learn how to perform conversions from kilowatts to mechanical, metric, electrical, boiler, and hydraulic horsepower using the appropriate formulae.
How to convert kilowatts to horsepower?
To convert kilowatts to horsepower, you can either use the kilowatts-to-horsepower calculator, or you can perform the calculation manually. Below, we will walk you through both of these methods for converting kilowatts to horsepower.
How do I use the kilowatts-to-horsepower calculator (kW to Hp)?
To use the kilowatts to horsepower calculator, you can enter the kilowatt value into the field, or use the slider, and the calculator will display the corresponding horsepower value.
Note that when you use this calculator, your kW-to-hp conversion will result in mechanical horsepower — the original unit of measure conceived by Sir James Watt. To convert kilowatts to other types of horsepower, you’ll need to an appropriate formula. Below, you will learn which formula to use to convert kilowatts to the required type of horsepower.
How do I convert kilowatts to horsepower without a calculator?
To convert kilowatts to horsepower without a calculator, you’ll need to multiply the kilowatt value by the correct conversion factor. This conversion factor changes depending on the type of horsepower to which you’re converting kilowatts. Below are the most common types of horsepower, along with their conversion factors and formulae from kilowatts.
How to convert kilowatts to mechanical horsepower
To convert kilowatts to mechanical horsepower (also known as Imperial horsepower), you’ll multiply the kilowatt value by a factor of 1.341. Mechanical horsepower quantifies power per James Watt’s original formula. One unit of mechanical horsepower is equal to 745.7 watts, or 0.7457 kilowatts. So, if you’re trying to convert kilowatts to mechanical horsepower, you can use the formula below.
hp = kW x 1.341
How to convert kilowatts to metric horsepower
To convert kilowatts to metric horsepower, you can multiply the kilowatt value by a factor of 1.35962. Metric horsepower was a common unit of measure in Europe, until the kilowatt officially replaced it in the 1970s. One metric horsepower measures the power needed to lift 75 kilograms by 1 metre in a single second. If you’re trying to convert kilowatts to metric horsepower, go ahead and use this kilowatt-to-metric horsepower formula below.
hp = kW x 1.35962
How to convert kilowatts to electrical horsepower
To convert kilowatts to electrical horsepower, you’ll need to multiply the kilowatt value by a factor of 1.34. In the US, electric motors show their output in electric horsepower, which equals to 746W. Here’s the formula you can use to convert kilowatts values to electrical horsepower.
hp = kW x 1.34
How to convert kilowatts to boiler horsepower
To convert kilowatts to boiler power, you must multiply the kilowatts by a conversion factor of 0.101942. Boiler horsepower quantifies a boiler’s steam output to a steam engine. 1 boiler horsepower is equal to the thermal energy rate needed to turn 15.6 kilograms of fresh water into steam in one hour, at 100°C. Below is the formula to convert kilowatt values into boiler horsepower.
hp = kW x 0.101942
Bear in mind, boiler horsepower has nothing to do with the heat output of modern boilers we use to heat our homes and produce hot water; those devices are sized in kW. Likewise, air conditioners are sized in kW or BTUs (British Thermal Units).
How to convert kilowatts to hydraulic horsepower
To convert kilowatts to hydraulic horsepower, you have to multiply the kilowatts by a factor of 1.34. Hydraulic horsepower measures the output of hydraulic machinery, and equals pressure multiplied by flow rate, divided by 1714. The formula for converting kilowatts to hydraulic horsepower is as follows.
hp = kW x 1.34
What are kilowatts?
Kilowatts are units of measure that quantify electric power. One kilowatt measures 1,000 watts, or 1000 amps under the pressure of 1000 Volts. Kilowatts are mostly used to quantify how much power is used by large electrical appliances and petrol-powered cars. In reference to cars, kilowatts measure the rate at which a car’s engine can convert the energy released by burning fuel into movement. But kilowatts didn’t always measure a car’s power; in fact, some parts of the world still use a different unit of power: horsepower.
What is horsepower?
Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measure of power for the power of motors and engines. The term “horsepower,” and the unit of measure the term describes were first coined by Scottish inventor James Watt (the same scientist whose name the watt carries). In the late 18th century, James Watt was perfecting the steam engine, and needed a way to explain its power output to his peers. So, Watt described this power output in terms an 18th century layman would grasp: the amount of power a horse could produce. Originally, the term horsepower denoted a power of 33,000 foot-pounds per minute.
Today, horsepower is still one of the common power units in North America, and, to a lesser extent, across the globe. You can easily convert most types of horsepower from and to an SI-derived unit, such as a kilowatt.
Kilowatt to horsepower conversion: Summary
We hope our calculator and guide to kW to hp conversion will prove useful to you in real-life applications. Horsepower is not used as widely as it was in the 19th and 20th centuries, but it’s still a relevant unit of measure of power in various machinery in the United States. Kilowatt, on the other hand, is horsepower’s more widely accepted counterpart and is accepted as the standard unit of measure in most countries throughout the world.
For easy reference, we suggest you bookmark this page. And to summarise, here are all the formulae we discussed above:
- kW to mechanical hp = kW x 1.34
- kW to metric hp = kW x 1.35962
- kW to electric hp = kW x 1.34
- kW to boiler hp = kW x 0.101942
- kW to hydraulic hp = kW x 1.34