Calories to BTU Converter
How to convert calories to BTU
BTU = calories ÷ 252.164401
To convert calories to BTU, divide the number of calories by 252.164401.
1 cal = 0.00396566683 BTU
Examples
- One kilocalorie, or one food Calorie: 1,000 cal ÷ 252.164401 = 3.96566683 BTU
- 500 cal ÷ 252.164401 = 1.98283342 BTU
Good to know
This is the thermochemical calorie, exactly 4.184 J. It is the small calorie: the "Calories" on food labels are kilocalories, 1000 times larger. The International Table calorie (4.1868 J) is slightly different.
This is the International Table BTU, 1055.05585262 J. Other definitions exist, such as the thermochemical BTU (about 1054.35 J); they differ from it by up to about 0.5%.
Calories to BTU conversion table
| Calories (cal) | BTU |
|---|---|
| 1 cal | 0.00396566683 BTU |
| 2 cal | 0.00793133366 BTU |
| 5 cal | 0.0198283342 BTU |
| 10 cal | 0.0396566683 BTU |
| 20 cal | 0.0793133366 BTU |
| 50 cal | 0.198283342 BTU |
| 100 cal | 0.396566683 BTU |
| 200 cal | 0.793133366 BTU |
| 250 cal | 0.991416708 BTU |
| 500 cal | 1.98283342 BTU |
| 1,000 cal | 3.96566683 BTU |
| 2,000 cal | 7.93133366 BTU |
| 2,500 cal | 9.91416708 BTU |
| 5,000 cal | 19.8283342 BTU |
| 10,000 cal | 39.6566683 BTU |
Unit definitions
- Calorie (cal)
- The thermochemical calorie is defined as exactly 4.184 joules, roughly the energy needed to heat one gram of water by one degree Celsius.
- BTU
- The British thermal unit is roughly the heat needed to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. The International Table BTU is exactly 1055.05585262 joules, and it is used for heating and cooling in the United States.