Kilocalorie (kcal) to Joule

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Result

4184

J

Conversion rate: 1 kcal = 4184 J

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: joules = kilocalorie (kcal) × 4184

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

Conversion Table

Kilocalorie (kcal) Joule
1 kcal 4184 J
10 kcal 41840 J
100 kcal 418400 J
1000 kcal 4184000 J
1000000 kcal 4184000000 J

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.

Joule (J)

The joule (J), recognized as the SI unit of energy, is named in honor of physicist James Prescott Joule. It represents the amount of work performed when a force of one newton moves an object over a distance of one meter. The joule is widely used in physics, thermodynamics, and engineering, providing a standardized way to quantify energy across mechanical, electrical, and thermal processes. Its implementation has enabled researchers and professionals to measure and compare energy values with accuracy and consistency around the globe.

Other Relevant Conversions

J → kJ J → cal J → kcal J → Wh J → kWh J → eV J → BTU kJ → J kJ → cal kJ → kcal kJ → Wh kJ → kWh kJ → eV kJ → BTU cal → J cal → kJ cal → kcal cal → Wh cal → kWh cal → eV cal → BTU kcal → J kcal → kJ kcal → cal kcal → Wh kcal → kWh kcal → eV kcal → BTU Wh → J Wh → kJ Wh → cal Wh → kcal Wh → kWh Wh → eV Wh → BTU kWh → J kWh → kJ kWh → cal kWh → kcal kWh → Wh kWh → eV kWh → BTU eV → J eV → kJ eV → cal eV → kcal eV → Wh eV → kWh eV → BTU BTU → J BTU → kJ BTU → cal BTU → kcal BTU → Wh BTU → kWh BTU → eV