Room for ChanceWhat it measures and where it is used
Torque measures the turning effect of a force about an axis. It matters for engines and fasteners. Its SI expression N·m has the same dimensions as the joule, but torque and energy are different quantities; torque is conventionally not expressed in joules.
- Classification
- SI derived quantity
- SI unit
- N·m
- Dimension
- M L² T⁻²
L: length; M: mass; T: time; Θ: temperature; N: amount of substance. The dimension symbol N is not the unit symbol for newton.
How it works
The calculation first converts to a common reference unit, then to the destination unit. Factors in the table show the reference value for one unit.
Example
1 lbf·ft ≈ 1.35581794833 N·m
Available units
Reference unit: N·m
| Available units | Reference factor |
|---|---|
| N·m | 1 × x |
| N·cm | 0.01 × x |
| kN·m | 1,000 × x |
| lbf·ft | 1.35581794833 × x |
| lbf·in | 0.112984829028 × x |
| kgf·m | 9.80665 × x |
Units, history and conventions
The International System of Units (SI) received its name in 1960. Since the 2019 revision, its definitions use fixed values of seven defining constants. SI base and derived quantities should not be confused with the different units used to express them.