Torque Converter

Torque is the rotational equivalent of force — a measure of how much a force applied at a distance from an axis tends to cause rotation. Every time an engine turns a crankshaft, a wrench tightens a bolt, or a motor drives a wheel, torque is the quantity that describes how strong that twisting effect is. It's calculated as force multiplied by the perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation, which is why a longer wrench handle makes it easier to loosen a stubborn bolt: the same hand force produces more torque at a greater distance.

Our Torque converter supports 17 units across several measurement traditions. The SI unit, newton meter (N·m), and its multiples and submultiples — kilonewton meter, newton centimeter, and newton millimeter — are the standard for modern engineering specifications worldwide. The CGS system contributes dyne meter, dyne centimeter, and dyne millimeter, units still found in some physics references and older scientific literature. A family of "force" units — kilogram-force meter, kilogram-force centimeter, kilogram-force millimeter, gram-force meter, gram-force centimeter, and gram-force millimeter — relate a mass under standard gravity to a lever-arm distance, and remain common in some European technical documentation and mechanical component datasheets.

For US and imperial engineering work, the converter includes pound-force foot and pound-force inch — the units printed directly on torque wrenches and used in virtually every US automotive service manual and fastener specification — along with the smaller ounce-force foot and ounce-force inch units used for delicate assemblies like electronics, optics, and precision instruments.

To convert, pick your starting and target units from the dropdown lists and type in a value — the result appears instantly, calculated to up to 12 significant digits. For example, converting 300 N·m (a typical car engine torque figure) to pound-force feet gives about 221.3 lbf·ft, letting you compare a European manufacturer's spec sheet directly against a US repair manual.

Torque is also the key input to power calculations for rotating machinery — power equals torque multiplied by angular velocity — so a precise, correctly-converted torque figure is often the first step before working out a motor's power rating elsewhere, or before selecting a torque wrench, coupling, or fastener rated to handle the calculated load with an appropriate safety margin.

Torque conversions are essential in automotive and mechanical engineering (engine and motor torque ratings, transmission design), maintenance and assembly work (torque-wrench specifications for bolts and fasteners, where under- or over-tightening can cause failures), robotics (motor selection for a given load), and physics education (relating torque to angular acceleration and moment of inertia via the rotational form of Newton's second law). Because torque and moment of force are the same physical quantity, this converter's results always agree with the site's Moment of Force converter — the different name simply reflects whether you're thinking about a spinning shaft or a structure in static equilibrium.

Every conversion factor in this tool comes from precise, standard unit definitions, so the results are dependable whether you're setting a torque wrench, checking an engine specification, or working through a physics problem. The converter is free, requires no account, and works equally well on desktop and mobile devices.