Common Engineering Unit Conversions - Basic Units
Parameter (Basic Units)
mass (m)
length - distance (L)
time (t)
SI Units
kilogram (kg)
English/American Units
pound mass (lbm)
meter (m)
foot or inch (ft or in)
second (s)
current (I)
Ampere (A)
Derived Units
Parameter (Derived Units)
Force - weight (F or W)
Torque (T)
Work - energy (W or E)
Power (P)
Voltage, EMF (V)
Resistance (R)
Inertia (J)
plane angle (, , , etc.)
rotation ()
velocity - linear (v)
acceleration (a)
velocity - angular ()
SI Units
Newton (N)
English/American Units
pound or ounce (lbf or oz)
Newton-meter (Nm)
Joule (J)
foot-pound (ft-lb or in-lb)
foot-pound (ft-lb or in-lb
Watt (W)
horsepower (hp or W)
Volt (V)
ohms ()
kilogram-meter2 (kg-m2)
radian (rad)
inch-pound-second2 (in-lb-s2)
degree or radian (deg or rad)
revolution (rev)
meter per sec. (m/s)
inch per second (in/s)
meter per second2 (m/s2)
inch per second2 (in/s2)
rad per second (rad/s)
velocity - rotational ()
accel - angular ()
rev per minute (rpm)
rad per second2 (rad/s2)
Basic Definitions & Formulae
Parameter Formula
Force - accel (F = m * a)
Torque - accel (T = J * )
Voltage, EMF (V = I * R)
Work - Energy (E = F * L)
Energy - elect (E = V * I * t)
Power (P = F * v)
Power (P = T * )
SI Units Formula
English/American Units Formula
2
1 N = 1 kg * 1 m / s
1 Nm = 1 kg-m2 * 1 rad / s2
1J=1N*1m
1 lbf = 1 lbf / (386 in / s2) * 386 in / s2
1 in-lb = 1 in-bl-s2 * 1 rad / s2
1V=1A*1
1 in-lb = .113 Nm = .113 Ws = .113 J
1J=1V*1A*1s
1W=1N*1m/s
1 W = 1 Nm * 1 rad / s
1 hp = 550 ft-lb / s = 745.7 W
(note: radians have no units)
Power (P = V * I)
Power (P = E / t)
1W=1V*1A
1W=1J/1s
Power (P = I2 * R)
1 W = 1 A2 * 1
Motor Constants
Parameter Formula
Torque const (Kt = T / I)
SI Units Formula
Kt = Nm / A
English/American Units Formula
Kt = in-lb / A
Voltage const (Ke = V / )
Ke = V / (rad / s)
Ke = V / krpm
SI Units Formula
1 A = 1 Nm / (Nm / A)
English/American Units Formula
1 A = 1 in-lb / (in-lb / A)
1 V = A + V / (rad / s) * (rad / s)
1 V = A + V / (krpm) * (krpm)
Servo Motor Formulae
Parameter Formula
Current Draw (I + T / Kt)
Voltage Required (V = IRa + Ke * )
Conversions:
To convert from units of A to units of B, find the value at the intersection of A and B, then multiply your
number by this value. Example: to convert from cm to microns, multiply value in cm by 1.00E+04.
Length Conversion
A (below) B
(right)
micron (m)
mm
cm
in
ft
micron (m)
mm
1
1000
0.001
1
1.00E-04
0.1
1.00E-06
0.001
3.94E-05
0.03937
3.28E-06
3.28E-03
cm
m
in
1.00E+04
1.00E+06
2.54E+04
10
1000
25.4
1
100
2.54
0.01
1
0.0254
0.3937
39.37
1
0.03281
3.281
0.0833
ft
3.05E+05
304.8
30.48
0.3048
12
Mass Conversion
A (below) B
(right)
kg
slug
ozm
lbm
1
1000
0.001
1
6.85E-05
6.85E-02
0.0353
35.274
2.20E-03
2.2046
slug
ozm
1.46E+04
28.35
14.59
0.0284
1
1.94E-03
514.78
1
32.17
0.0625
lbm
453.6
0.4536
0.0311
16
kgf
gf
ozf
lbf
N
kgf
1
9.81
0.102
1
101.97
1000
3.596
35.274
0.225
2.205
gf
ozf
lbf
9.81E-03
0.28
4.45
0.001
0.0283
0.4536
1
28.35
453.6
0.0353
1
16
2.21E-03
0.0625
1
g
kg
Force Conversion
A (below) B
(right)
Torque Conversion
A (below) B
(right)
g-cm
g-cm
kg-cm
kg-m
N-m
oz-in
lb-in
lb-ft
0.001
1.00E-05
9.81E-05
0.014
8.68E-04
7.23E-05
kg-cm
kg-m
1000
1.00E+05
1
100
0.01
1
0.098
9.81
13.89
1389
0.868
86.8
0.072
7.23
N-m
oz-in
1.02E+04
72.01
10.2
0.072
0.102
7.21E-04
1
7.06E-03
141.6
1
8.85
0.063
0.738
5.21E-03
lb-in
lb-ft
1.15E+03
1.38E+04
1.152
13.83
0.012
0.138
0.113
1.356
16
192
1
12
0.083
1
Power Conversion
A (below) B
(right)
Watts
Watts
kW
Horsepower
in-lb/s
ft-lb/s
100E-03
1.34E-03
8.85
0.74
kW
Horsepower
in-lb/s
1000
746
0.113
1
0.746
1.13E-04
1.34
1
1.52E-04
8851
6600
1
738
550
0.083
ft-lb/s
1.35
1.36E-03
1.82E-03
12
Linear Velocity Conversion
A (below) B
(right)
mm/s
cm/s
m/s
in/s
ft/s
in/min
ft/min
mm/s
cm/s
1
10
0.1
1
0.001
0.01
0.0394
0.394
3.28E-03
0.0328
2.362
23.62
0.1968
1.97
m/s
in/s
1000
25.4
100
2.54
1
0.0254
39.37
1
3.281
0.083
2362.2
60
196.9
5
ft/s
in/min
ft/min
304.8
0.423
5.08
30.48
0.0423
0.508
0.3048
4.23E-04
5.08E-03
12
0.0167
0.2
1
1.39E-03
0.0167
720
1
12
60
0.0833
1
Angular Velocity Conversion
A (below) B (right)
deg/s
rad/s
rpm
rps
deg/s
1
57.3
rad/s
0.0175
1
rpm
0.167
9.55
rps
2.78E-03
0.159
6
360
0.105
6.28
1
60
0.0167
1
Rotary Inertia Conversion
A
(below)
B
(right)
g-cm2
kg-cm2
g-cm-s2
g-cm2
0.001
0.001
kg-cm2
1000
1.02
0.001
0.981
0.001
981
1000
10000
10190
g-cm981
s2
kg-cm9.81E+05
s2
kg-m2 1.00E+07
kg-cm-s2
kg-m2
lb-in-s2
lb-ft-s2
lb-in2
lb-ft2
oz-in2
oz-ins2
8.85E-04 7.38E-05
0.342
2.40E-03
5.47
1.42E05
0.014
9.81E-05 8.68E-04 7.23E-05
0.335
2.30E-03
5.36
0.014
1.02E-06 1.00E-07 8.85E-07 7.38E-08 3.42E-04 2.37E-06 5.50E-03
0.0001
0.0981
0.868
0.072
335.1
2.33
5362
13.89
54675
141.6
10.19
8.85
0.738
3417.74
23.734
lb-in-s2 1.13E+06
1130
1.15E+03
lb-ft-s2 1.36E+07 1.36E+04 1.38E+04
1.152
13.83
0.113
1.36
1
12
0.083
1
386.1
4633
2.68
32.2
lb-in2
lb-ft2
2926
4.21E+05
2.93
421.4
2.98
429.7
0.003
0.43
1
144
6.90E-03
1
16
2304
0.041
5.97
oz-in2
182.9
0.183
0.187
0.0625
4.34E-04
2.60E03
70.62
72
24.13
0.168
386.1
oz-in-s2 7.06E+04
2.93E-04 2.60E-03 2.16E-04
0.0421
0.373
0.031
1.87E-04 1.83E-05 1.62E-04 1.35E-05
0.072
0.007
0.063
5.20E-03
6177
16
7.41E+04 192
