Kilocalorie (kcal) to BTU (International)

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Result

3.9657

BTU

Conversion rate: 1 kcal = 3.9657 BTU

Showing up to 4 decimal

How it works

The converter uses exact SI-based factors (e.g., 1 foot = 0.3048 meters, 1 inch = 0.0254 meters).

Formula: btu (international)s = kilocalorie (kcal) × 3.9657

Results show between 0 and 8 decimal places and hide trailing zeros for readability.

Conversion Table

Kilocalorie (kcal) BTU (International)
1 kcal 3.9657 BTU
10 kcal 39.6567 BTU
100 kcal 396.5667 BTU
1000 kcal 3965.6668 BTU
1000000 kcal 3965666.8314 BTU

History

Kilocalorie (kcal)

The kilocalorie, symbolized as kcal, equals 1,000 calories and is often referred to as a “Calorie” with a capital C in food labeling. It measures the energy in food and human metabolism, helping dieticians, nutritionists, and consumers track intake. The kilocalorie became the standard unit of energy measurement as nutrition science linked energy measurement to diet. Most scientists now use joules, but kilocalories are still commonly used in reporting food energy.

BTU (International) (BTU)

The British Thermal Unit (BTU), symbolized as BTU, is an imperial unit of energy used to measure heat. One BTU is the heat needed to raise one pound of water by 1°F. The BTU originated in the 19th century, during the Industrial Revolution, for heating in the UK and the US. It is still used in HVAC systems and energy production. The BTU connects imperial and metric energy systems, especially in countries that use imperial units for industry.

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