Convert Torque from Kilogram-centimeters to Pound-feet (kg-cm to lbf-ft)

Kilogram-centimeter to Pound-foot Conversion Formula

Example

Let's convert 5 Kilogram-centimeter (kg-cm) to Pound-foot (lbf-ft).

Using the formula:

Therefore, 5 Kilogram-centimeter (kg-cm) is equal to 0.36165067877059218125 Pound-foot (lbf-ft).

How many kilogram-centimeters are in one pound-foot? One Pound-foot (lbf-ft) contains 13.825495964772340086 Kilogram-centimeters (kg-cm) — the inverse of the factor above. Multiplying by 0.07233013575411843625 takes you from kilogram-centimeters to pound-feet; multiplying by 13.825495964772340086 brings you back.

Put in words: one kilogram-centimeter equals 0.07233013575411843625 pound-feet, so the kilogram-centimeter is the smaller unit of this pair. Converting between them never changes the amount of torque being measured — only the size of the unit you count it in.

What Is a Kilogram-centimeter (kgf·cm)?

A kilogram-centimeter (kgf·cm) is one kilogram-force acting at one centimetre from the axis. It is one hundredth of a kilogram-meter.

• 1 kgf·cm = 0.0980665 N·m
• 1 kgf·m = 100 kgf·cm

The Hobby Servo Unit

If you have ever bought a hobby servo, you have seen this unit. Servo torque is published almost universally in kgf·cm — a common 9 g micro servo is rated around 1.8 kgf·cm, a standard-size servo around 10–20 kgf·cm.

The rating tells you how much weight the servo can hold at a given arm length: 10 kgf·cm means it can just support 10 kg at 1 cm from the shaft, or 1 kg at 10 cm, or 0.5 kg at 20 cm. Doubling the arm halves the load it can hold.

Where Kilogram-centimeter Is Used

• RC servos and hobby robotics — the dominant unit in datasheets and marketplaces.
• Small gearmotors sold through electronics suppliers.
• Legacy metric torque specifications for small fasteners.
• Tyre valve and small assembly torque figures on older equipment.

Converting Kilogram-centimeter

What Is a Pound-foot (lbf·ft)?

A pound-foot (lbf·ft) is the US customary unit of torque: the twisting effect of one pound-force applied at a perpendicular distance of one foot from the axis.

• 1 lbf·ft = 1.355818 N·m

Pound-foot Versus Foot-pound

You will see both spellings, and in practice they are used interchangeably for torque. Strictly:

• Pound-foot (lbf·ft) is the correct name for torque.
• Foot-pound (ft·lb) properly describes energy — the same distinction as newton-meter versus joule.

Almost every workshop manual, torque wrench and specification sheet writes "ft-lb" and means torque. Read it as pound-foot and you will not go wrong.

Where Pound-foot Is Used

• US automotive service — wheel nuts, cylinder heads, suspension bolts.
• Engine specifications — American engines are advertised in horsepower and lbf·ft.
• Construction and heavy equipment in US markets.
• Torque wrenches sold in the United States, usually graduated in lbf·ft with a secondary N·m scale.

Everyday Reference Points

• A typical car wheel nut: 80–100 lbf·ft.
• A car oil drain plug: 25–30 lbf·ft.
• A large pickup truck engine: 400–1,000 lbf·ft.

Converting Pound-foot

Kilogram-centimeter to Pound-foot Conversion Table

Here are some quick reference conversions from Kilogram-centimeter (kg-cm) to Pound-foot (lbf-ft):