# Kilowatts to horsepower converter

> Convert kilowatts to horsepower (kW to hp) with the exact factor, a conversion chart and worked steps.

Interactive version: https://www.calcopenly.com/conversion/kw-to-hp
Subject: Unit converters

Kilowatts describe power, a rate of energy use or production. Restating a motor's kW rating as horsepower can help compare equipment labels. It does not turn kW into kWh; an energy total also needs the duration and operating load.

One kilowatt is about 1.3410220896 horsepower, so 100 kW is 134.102209 hp. To convert kW to hp, multiply by 1.3410220896; to convert back, multiply by 0.7456998716.

Mechanical horsepower is 550 foot-pounds per second, about 745.7 W; metric horsepower (PS) is 735.49875 W. The factor has no exact decimal form, so results are computed with 50 significant digits and rounded only for display.

## Inputs

- **Kilowatts (kW)**

## Results

- Horsepower (hp) — main result
- Conversion
- 1 hp in kilowatts (kW)

## Formula

$$
\text{horsepower} = \text{kilowatts} \times 1.3410220896
$$

## Worked examples

### 100 kW to hp

- Kilowatts (kW): 100 kW
- **Horsepower: 134.10220896 hp**
- Checked against: Exact-fraction computation from the legal unit definitions (scripts/gen-pairs.py, Python fractions)

### 75 kW to hp

- Kilowatts (kW): 75 kW
- **Horsepower: 100.57665672 hp**
- Checked against: Exact-fraction computation from the legal unit definitions (scripts/gen-pairs.py, Python fractions)

### 300 kW to hp

- Kilowatts (kW): 300 kW
- **Horsepower: 402.306626879 hp**
- Checked against: Exact-fraction computation from the legal unit definitions (scripts/gen-pairs.py, Python fractions)

## Questions

### When would I convert kW to hp?

Kilowatts describe power, a rate of energy use or production. Restating a motor's kW rating as horsepower can help compare equipment labels. It does not turn kW into kWh; an energy total also needs the duration and operating load.

### How many horsepower are in a kilowatt?

One kilowatt is about 1.3410220896 horsepower. Mechanical horsepower is 550 foot-pounds per second, about 745.7 W; metric horsepower (PS) is 735.49875 W.

### How do you convert kW to hp?

Multiply the number of kilowatts by 1.3410220896. For example, 100 kW × 1.3410220896 = 134.102209 hp. To go the other way, divide by 1.3410220896.

### How can I estimate kW to hp without a calculator?

Multiply by 1.34. That is 0.07622% low of the exact factor 1.3410220896, so 100 kW comes out as 134 hp instead of 134.1022.

### How accurate is the kilowatts to horsepower converter?

Accuracy depends on your inputs and the method's assumptions. Decimal arithmetic uses 50 significant digits, but estimates, numerical methods and source data can be less precise; the displayed rounding does not remove those limits. It is checked against 3 worked examples whose answers come from independent sources; for example, “100 kW to hp” is checked against Exact-fraction computation from the legal unit definitions (scripts/gen-pairs.py, Python fractions).

### Where does the method come from?

NIST SP 811 (2008), Guide for the Use of the International System of Units, Appendix B; NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C: General tables of units of measurement; BIPM, The International System of Units (SI Brochure), 9th edition.

## Sources

- [NIST SP 811 (2008), Guide for the Use of the International System of Units, Appendix B](https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811)
- [NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C: General tables of units of measurement](https://www.nist.gov/pml/weights-and-measures/publications/nist-handbooks/handbook-44)
- [BIPM, The International System of Units (SI Brochure), 9th edition](https://www.bipm.org/en/publications/si-brochure)