Konwerter Nm na Ft-lbs

What does the Nm to Ft-lbs Converter do?

The Nm to Ft-lbs Converter swaps between the two everyday units of torque: newton-meters (N·m, the metric standard) and foot-pounds (ft·lb, US customary). Type a number in either field — the other updates instantly. The page also includes a built-in table of common torque references (a bicycle stem bolt, a car wheel lug nut, a heavy suspension bolt) so you can sanity-check a spec at a glance before you reach for a wrench.

Quick anchors: 1 N·m ≈ 0.74 ft·lb. 130 N·m ≈ 96 ft·lb (typical car wheel lug nut). 200 N·m ≈ 148 ft·lb (heavy suspension bolt). The conversion is exact, not an approximation — the math has been the same since the 1959 international yard and pound agreement.

Newton-meters and foot-pounds — what they actually measure

What is a newton-meter?

A newton-meter is the SI (metric) unit of torque. It's the rotational equivalent of "force times distance." One newton-meter is what you get when you push a wrench with one newton of force (about the weight of a small apple, ~100 g) at one meter from the bolt. Modern car manuals, European and Asian equipment specs, scientific literature, and engineering drawings use N·m almost exclusively. If you bought a torque wrench in the last decade outside the United States, it almost certainly reads in N·m.

What is a foot-pound?

A foot-pound (ft·lb, sometimes written ft·lbf or lb·ft) is the US customary unit of torque. One pound of force applied at one foot of distance from the pivot. American car manuals, US-built motorcycles, hand tools at Home Depot, and a lot of older industrial equipment list specs in ft·lb. Most US-market torque wrenches are dual-scale; some are still ft·lb only.

Both units measure the same physical quantity. The difference is just which length and which force you're using as the reference. That's why the conversion is a single multiplication — no nonlinear math, no conditions, no rounding ambiguity.

How the conversion works

The factor 1.3558179483314004 isn't a measured number — it's derived from the SI definitions. One foot is exactly 0.3048 meters. One pound-force is exactly 4.4482216152605 newtons. Multiply: 0.3048 m × 4.4482216152605 N = 1.3558179483314004 N·m. There's no rounding hiding in the constant.

Worked example: a car wheel spec calls for 130 N·m. What's that in ft·lb?

• 130 N·m × 0.7375621 ft·lb/N·m = 95.88 ft·lb
• That's right in the typical 95–100 ft·lb range for passenger-car wheel lug nuts. The number passes the smell test.

Reverse direction: a Honda manual lists 80 ft·lb for the front axle nut. In N·m?

• 80 ft·lb × 1.3558179 N·m/ft·lb = 108.5 N·m

Common torque conversions

Reference values for the conversions you'll actually need at a workbench. The third column anchors each torque to a real fastener so you can spot a typo (130 vs 13 N·m on a wheel lug isn't a "close enough" — it's the difference between safe and dangerous).

Three things worth noticing about this table. Most torque specs cluster between 5 and 200 N·m. Anything below ~5 N·m is delicate (electronics, watches, bike parts) and usually wants in·lb (inch-pounds) for finer resolution. Anything above ~250 N·m is heavy industrial.

Specs are ranges, not single numbers. A "130 N·m wheel torque" really means "between 125 and 135," and the manufacturer's intent is "tight enough to not loosen, not so tight it stretches the stud." Use the spec as the target, the wrench's click as the signal.

The 1.36× ratio between the units is small enough to be deceiving. 100 N·m and 100 ft·lb sound like the same number. They're not — 100 ft·lb is 36% more torque (135.6 N·m). On a wheel that's the difference between "tight enough" and "stretching the stud." Always do the conversion; never assume.

When you'll need to convert N·m to ft·lb

The conversion lives at the boundary between metric and US-customary equipment, which means it shows up any time those two worlds touch.

Working on an imported car with a US-bought torque wrench. European, Japanese, and Korean cars list nearly every spec in N·m. Your wrench reads ft·lb. Without the conversion you're guessing. Most modern wrenches have dual scales, but older ones don't, and the marking on entry-level wrenches is often only one scale.

Following a YouTube tutorial that uses the other unit. Half the bicycle-mechanic videos on YouTube use N·m (Park Tool, GCN). Most American-made-car YouTube uses ft·lb. If you're following along, you're constantly translating in your head — better to convert once before starting.

Ordering a service manual that comes in the wrong units. Aftermarket manuals (Haynes, Chilton) sometimes list torque specs only in their original publication units. If your reference manual is metric and your wrench is imperial — or vice versa — the converter is the bridge.

Cross-checking a spec from a forum or a friend. Online communities mix units freely. "Should I torque this to 95 or 130?" — well, those are the same number in different units, so anyone telling you they're different is wrong. Convert and confirm.

Spec'ing assembly bolts for a project. If you're designing or specifying a bolted joint, the engineering literature is in N·m. The hardware store sells fasteners with imperial heads. The torque wrench is whichever you happen to own. Conversion happens at every step.

Edge cases and gotchas

ft·lb vs lb·ft — same unit, different name. Some sources write "pound-feet" (lb·ft) instead of "foot-pounds" (ft·lb) to emphasize that the moment arm comes first dimensionally. They're identical numbers. Don't let the swap confuse you.

Don't confuse foot-pound (torque) with foot-pound (energy). The two units share the same dimensional formula but measure different physical quantities. A torque of 1 ft·lb won't move anything by itself; energy of 1 ft·lb is a small amount of work done. The torque-vs-energy distinction matters in physics; for tightening bolts, ignore it — when manuals say "ft·lb" near a fastener, they mean torque.

Inch-pounds (in·lb) are a separate unit. Used for very small torque specs — bicycle parts, electronics, optics, watches. 1 ft·lb = 12 in·lb. So 1 N·m ≈ 8.85 in·lb. If your wrench reads in·lb and the spec is in N·m, convert N·m → ft·lb first (this calculator), then multiply ft·lb by 12.

Torque wrenches drift over time. Click wrenches lose calibration after years of use, especially if stored at high tension. The conversion is exact; the wrench is not. If you're tightening anything safety-critical, get the wrench calibrated annually, and always store click-style wrenches at their lowest setting.

Static vs dynamic torque. The numbers in this calculator and most torque tables are static — what you apply when tightening a stationary bolt. Engine "torque output" you see in car spec sheets is dynamic — rotational force in motion. Same units, different physics; don't compare them.

Lubrication changes the spec. "Dry" torque specs assume the threads are clean and lubricant-free. Adding anti-seize or oil reduces friction, which means the same torque produces more clamping force — you can stretch or break a stud at "spec" if the threads are oiled and the spec is for dry. Always check whether the manual's number is dry or wet.

Related converters and tools

Torque is one slice of the metric/imperial unit-conversion landscape. Related Microapp tools:

• For mass and weight conversions in the same metric/US-customary workflow, the Grams to Ounces Converter handles cooking-scale weights, and the Ounces to Pounds Converter covers shipping and body weight.
• For length conversions when you're working from a metric drawing with imperial measuring tools, the Length Converter covers m, ft, in, mi, cm, mm in one view.
• If your project is touching CSS, the CSS Unit Converter swaps between px, rem, em, vw, vh, pt, pc, cm, mm, and in (yes, CSS supports physical units even though they're rarely used).
• For cooking and recipe conversions, the Temperature Converter handles °C, °F, K — the partner unit conversion to weight when you're following a recipe across systems.

Frequently asked questions

What's the conversion factor?

1 N·m = 0.7375621 ft·lb. Equivalently, 1 ft·lb = 1.3558179 N·m. The conversion is exact — derived from the SI definitions of the foot (0.3048 m) and the pound-force (4.4482216 N). It's not an approximation rounded for convenience.

Why are there two units for the same thing?

Newton-meters are the SI (metric) unit, used in most of the world and on most modern equipment specs. Foot-pounds are US customary, still common on American cars, motorcycles, and hand tools. They measure the same physical quantity (torque), just with different reference units for length and force.

Is it ft·lb or lb·ft? They look the same.

Both names refer to the same unit (1 pound of force applied at 1 foot of distance). "Foot-pound" (ft·lb, ft-lb, ft·lbf) is more common in mechanical and automotive contexts. Some physics texts and engineering specs use "pound-foot" (lb·ft) to emphasize the moment arm. Numerically identical.

What about inch-pounds?

Inch-pounds (in·lb) are 1/12 of a foot-pound. Common for very small torque specs — bicycle parts, watches, electronics. 1 ft·lb = 12 in·lb. To convert N·m to in·lb, multiply ft·lb by 12: so 1 N·m ≈ 8.85 in·lb.

What torque should I use on my car's wheel lug nuts?

Always check your owner's manual or door-jamb sticker — torque specs vary by vehicle. As a ballpark: most passenger cars are 80–110 ft·lb (108–149 N·m); trucks and larger SUVs run 100–150 ft·lb (135–203 N·m). Tighten in a star or cross pattern, in two passes (half torque, then full), to seat the wheel evenly.

Why does the result table show "approximately" for the references?

Real-world torque specs are ranges, not exact numbers — and they vary by vehicle make, model year, and specific bolt. The reference column is a rounded benchmark to give you intuition (a bike stem bolt is small, a car wheel is medium, a suspension bolt is large). Always look up the exact spec in the manufacturer's documentation before tightening.

Does anti-seize or oil change the torque spec?

Yes — and this catches people out. Most published torque values assume "dry" threads (clean and lubricant-free). Adding anti-seize, oil, or thread locker reduces friction in the threads, which means the same wrench setting produces more clamping force. For wheel lug nuts specifically, most manufacturers say dry. If you must lubricate, reduce the torque spec by 15–25%, or look up the manufacturer's wet-torque value.

Is the conversion saved or sent anywhere?

No. The math runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is logged, stored, or transmitted — your numbers stay local.