Torque Converter
Convert torque between newton-metres and pound-feet - exactly what you need when a tool or service manual uses the other unit.
About the Torque Converter
This tool converts torque - a twisting or turning force - between newton-metres, kilonewton-metres, pound-feet and pound-inches. Torque appears on bolt specifications, hand tools, torque wrenches and vehicle data sheets, and the metric and imperial worlds use entirely different units.
How to use it
- Enter the figure you have into its field, such as a wheel-nut spec in pound-feet.
- Read the equivalent in newton-metres for a metric torque wrench.
- Use pound-inches for smaller fasteners where lb-ft would be awkwardly small.
The everyday conversion is between newton-metres and pound-feet: 1 lb-ft equals about 1.356 Nm, so a bolt torqued to 100 lb-ft needs about 135.6 Nm. Watch the unit carefully, because pound-feet and pound-inches differ by a factor of 12, and mixing them up can badly over- or under-tighten a fastener. Torque is distinct from energy even though both can be written in newton-metres; here it always means a rotational force. The converter runs in your browser and never uploads your values.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert newton-metres to pound-feet?
Divide newton-metres by 1.35582, or multiply pound-feet by 1.35582 to go the other way. So 135.6 Nm is about 100 lb-ft.
What is the difference between pound-feet and pound-inches?
They differ by a factor of 12, since there are 12 inches in a foot. So 10 lb-ft equals 120 lb-in. Pound-inches are used for small fasteners.
Is lb-ft the same as ft-lb?
For torque they refer to the same quantity and are used interchangeably in practice, though lb-ft is the more technically correct order for a force times a distance.
Why is torque measured in newton-metres like energy?
Both are a force times a distance, so they share the unit newton-metre. They are physically different, though, so energy is usually written as joules and torque as Nm to keep them distinct.