Popular conversions
1 pairsNewton-Meter ↔ Pound-Foot
N·m ↔ lb·ft
Unit guides
2 unitsDetailed guide to Torque
Torque measures the twisting or rotational effect of a force applied at a distance from a pivot point. It is expressed as τ = F × r.
The newton-meter is the SI derived unit of torque, while pound-foot is common in US-sourced automotive and engineering documents.
- Physical quantity
- Torque (moment of force)
- SI unit
- Newton-meter
- SI symbol
- N·m
- Formula
- τ = F × r
- Typical use
- Engine torque, torque wrenches and bolt specifications
What is torque?
Torque is the rotational equivalent of force: it measures how much a force applied at a distance from a pivot tends to rotate an object.
One newton-meter is the torque produced by a 1-newton force applied perpendicular to a 1-meter lever arm.
Newton-meter and pound-foot
One newton-meter equals about 0.737562 pound-feet. One pound-foot equals exactly 1.355818 newton-meters.
Vehicle engine specifications and torque wrench settings often quote both units, since US-sourced documents typically use pound-feet.
Torque versus energy
Newton-meter is dimensionally identical to the joule (kg·m²/s²), but the two express different physical quantities: joule is energy (scalar), newton-meter is torque (a vector effect).
To avoid confusion, convention reserves the joule symbol for energy and newton-meter for torque — they are never used interchangeably.
Torque units
| Unit | Symbol | Information |
|---|---|---|
| Newton-Meter | N·m | View unit guide |
| Pound-Foot | lb·ft | View unit guide |
Sources
The definitions and conversion relationships on this page are aligned with standard metrology and SI reference material.