British Thermal Units to Calories (BTU → cal)

252.17

1.0000 BTU = 252.17 cal

Formula

1 BTU = 252.16539196940724 cal
CaloriesBritish Thermal Units (Swap Units)

Conversion Table

BTUcal
00
1.0000252.17
2.0000504.33
3.0000756.50
4.00001,008.7
5.00001,260.8
6.00001,513.0
7.00001,765.2
8.00002,017.3
9.00002,269.5
10.0002,521.7
11.0002,773.8
12.0003,026.0
13.0003,278.2
14.0003,530.3
15.0003,782.5
16.0004,034.6
17.0004,286.8
18.0004,539.0
19.0004,791.1
BTUcal
20.0005,043.3
21.0005,295.5
22.0005,547.6
23.0005,799.8
24.0006,052.0
25.0006,304.1
26.0006,556.3
27.0006,808.5
28.0007,060.6
29.0007,312.8
30.0007,565.0
31.0007,817.1
32.0008,069.3
33.0008,321.5
34.0008,573.6
35.0008,825.8
36.0009,078.0
37.0009,330.1
38.0009,582.3
39.0009,834.5
BTUcal
40.00010,087
41.00010,339
42.00010,591
43.00010,843
44.00011,095
45.00011,347
46.00011,600
47.00011,852
48.00012,104
49.00012,356
50.00012,608
51.00012,860
52.00013,113
53.00013,365
54.00013,617
55.00013,869
56.00014,121
57.00014,373
58.00014,626
59.00014,878
BTUcal
60.00015,130
61.00015,382
62.00015,634
63.00015,886
64.00016,139
65.00016,391
66.00016,643
67.00016,895
68.00017,147
69.00017,399
70.00017,652
71.00017,904
72.00018,156
73.00018,408
74.00018,660
75.00018,912
76.00019,165
77.00019,417
78.00019,669
79.00019,921

British Thermal Units to Calories Conversion

Converting British Thermal Units (BTU) to Calories (cal) is a common energy and power conversion. 1 BTU equals 252.165392 cal. For example, 100 BTU is equal to 25,216.539197 cal.

Quick Mental Math: British Thermal Units to Calories

0.01983 british thermal units is 5 calories, so use that as the mental anchor.

Why is converting British Thermal Units to Calories tricky?

british thermal units to calories mixes thermal units with rate units, so people often miss whether the value is energy or energy per hour.

Quick Reference Values

1 BTU = 252.165392 cal. 5 BTU = 1,260.82696 cal. 10 BTU = 2,521.65392 cal. 25 BTU = 6,304.134799 cal. 50 BTU = 12,608.269598 cal. 100 BTU = 25,216.539197 cal.

What is British Thermal Units?

British Thermal Units (BTU) is a unit of energy and power. The British Thermal Unit (BTU) measures energy and is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. One BTU equals approximately 1055.06 joules in the International System of Units (SI). This unit is standardized for heating and cooling system capacities and energy content calculations [nist-sp-811]. The BTU originated in the mid-19th century during the industrial revolution to quantify heat energy for steam engines and heating systems. It was standardized by engineering societies to unify thermal energy measurements in the United Kingdom and the United States [nist-sp-811]. BTU remains widely used in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada for HVAC system ratings and energy content in fuels. It is recognized by industry standards and energy regulations but is less common in countries using the SI system exclusively [nist-sp-811].

What is Calories?

Calories (cal) is a unit of energy and power. The calorie (cal) is defined as exactly 4.184 joules. It quantifies the energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by 1°C under standard conditions. The calorie is widely used in chemistry and nutrition to express energy content [bipm-si-brochure]. The calorie was introduced in the early 19th century by Nicolas Clément and standardized internationally in the 20th century. It was adopted for practical energy measurement in chemistry and food science before the joule became the SI unit [bipm-si-brochure]. Calories remain common in food labeling, nutrition, and chemistry worldwide. The dietary Calorie (kcal) is prevalent in the US, Europe, and many countries while scientific contexts prefer the joule [bipm-si-brochure].

Common Misspellings

People often search for this conversion using these alternate spellings: british thermal unit, btu unit, british therm unit, btu energy, british thermals unit, calorie, cal, calory, calo. All of these refer to the British Thermal Units to Calories conversion.

Common Conversions