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Watts to Horsepower Converter

Convert electrical Watts to Mechanical (Imperial), Metric (PS), or Electrical Horsepower. Critical for motor sizing and automotive engineering.

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About

Converting electrical power to mechanical output is a fundamental task in automotive engineering and industrial motor specification. Confusion often arises because "Horsepower" is not a singular standard. The value changes depending on regional definitions and the application context-Mechanical HP in the US/UK, Metric HP (PS/cv) in Europe/Asia, and Electrical HP for specific motor efficiency ratings.

This tool addresses these discrepancies by distinguishing between the three primary standards. Selecting the incorrect standard can lead to sizing errors of approximately 1.4% between Mechanical and Metric units. While small, this deviation becomes significant in high-performance engines or large industrial drive systems where precision dictates safety margins and efficiency calculations.

motor sizing automotive mechanical engineering power units HP conversion

Formulas

The conversion depends strictly on the definition of Horsepower selected:

{
HPmech = PW745.7HPmetric = PW735.5HPelec = PW746

Where PW is the input power in Watts.

Reference Data

Input Power (Watts)Mechanical HP (Imperial)Metric HP (PS/cv)Electrical HP
746 W1.000 hp1.014 ps1.000 hp(E)
1,000 W1.341 hp1.360 ps1.340 hp(E)
5,000 W6.705 hp6.798 ps6.702 hp(E)
10,000 W13.410 hp13.596 ps13.405 hp(E)
50,000 W67.051 hp67.981 ps67.024 hp(E)
75,000 W100.576 hp101.972 ps100.536 hp(E)
100,000 W134.102 hp135.962 ps134.048 hp(E)
150,000 W201.153 hp203.943 ps201.072 hp(E)
500,000 W670.511 hp679.810 ps670.241 hp(E)

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are in the US or UK, "Mechanical HP" (often just "hp" or 'bhp') is the standard. If you are in Europe or Asia, "Metric HP" (often labeled as "PS", "cv", "ch", or 'pk') is used. The difference is about 1.4%.
Electrical Horsepower is used primarily for electric motors in the US. It is defined exactly as 746 Watts. This simplifies calculations compared to the mechanical 745.699872 Watts, though they are practically identical for general purposes.
No. This tool converts units of power, not system performance. If an electric motor consumes 1000W of electricity, this tool calculates the equivalent power in HP. However, the mechanical output at the shaft will be lower due to efficiency losses (heat, friction).
Historical divergence. James Watt defined mechanical horsepower based on 33,000 ft-lbf/min. Metric horsepower was later defined to align with the metric system (kg-force meters per second), resulting in slightly different values.