Calories (cal) - Energy Conversions
A calorie (or thermochemical calorie) is a unit of energy in the International System of Units (SI). Calories are generally defined in terms of joules (J). A thermochemical calorie is based on 1 calorie = 4.184 J. The symbol for calorie is cal. A calorie is also called a "small calorie" or "gram calorie".
A calorie is measured as the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C from a standard initial temperature at a pressure of 1 atmosphere.
Alternative Definitions of Calorie
The following table summarizes the different calories and the amount of joules (J) for each.
| Calorie | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
| calorie (thermochemical) | Thermochemical calorie | 1 calorie = 4.184 J |
| calorie (15°C) | 15°C calorie | 1 calorie = 4.1855 J |
| calorie (IT) | International Table calorie | 1 calorie = 4.1868 J |
| calorie (mean) | Mean calorie | 1 calorie = 4.1900 J |
Select a Conversion
Select one of the calorie (thermochemical) conversions below:
Unit Summary
This table provides a summary of the Energy units within their respective measurement systems.
| Unit | Symbol | Measurement System |
|---|---|---|
| calories (thermochemical) | cal | International System of Units (SI) |
| kilocalories | kcal | International System of Units (SI) |
| British Thermal Unit | BTU or Btu | Imperial System |
| joules | J | International System of Units (SI) |
| kilojoules | kJ | International System of Units (SI) |
| megajoules | MJ | International System of Units (SI) |
| gigajoules | GJ | International System of Units (SI) |
| terajoules | TJ | International System of Units (SI) |
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