Kilocalorie to Calorie (kcal to cal)
Result
1,000 Calorie
Formula
cal = kcal × 1,000
1 kcal = 1,000 cal, and 1 cal = 0.001 kcal.
The joule is the SI unit of energy. The calorie used here is the thermochemical calorie, exactly 4.184 J; a kilowatt-hour is exactly 3.6 MJ; the BTU is the International Table BTU (1,055.05585262 J).
Worked examples
- 1 kcal × 1,000 = 1,000 cal
- 10 kcal × 1,000 = 10,000 cal
- 100 kcal × 1,000 = 100,000 cal
Common mistakes
- Food "Calories" (capital C) are kilocalories: a 250 Calorie snack contains 250 kcal, or 1,046 kJ.
- kW is power and kWh is energy: a 2 kW heater running for 3 hours uses 6 kWh.
- The International Table calorie (4.1868 J) is slightly larger than the thermochemical calorie (4.184 J); engineering steam tables use the former.
Kilocalorie to Calorie table
| Kilocalorie (kcal) | Calorie (cal) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000 |
| 2 | 2,000 |
| 5 | 5,000 |
| 10 | 10,000 |
| 20 | 20,000 |
| 50 | 50,000 |
| 100 | 100,000 |
| 1,000 | 1,000,000 |
The units
- Kilocalorie (kcal)
- Kilocalorie (thermochemical): exactly 4,184 J. The "Calorie" on food labels.
- Calorie (cal)
- 1 Calorie = 4.184 Joule.
Sources for these factors
- Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SP 811), Appendix B: conversion factors — NIST
- The International System of Units (SI Brochure), 9th edition — BIPM
Last reviewed against these sources. An automated check recomputes every factor from its definition on each build. How we check accuracy