Convert Horsepower to Foot-pounds/min
Convert Horsepower to Foot-pounds/min instantly. 1 Horsepower (hp) equals 33,000 Foot-pounds/min (ft·lb/min).
Horsepower to Foot-pounds/min conversion table
| Horsepower (hp) | Foot-pounds/min (ft·lb/min) |
|---|---|
| 1 hp | 33,000 ft·lb/min |
| 2 hp | 66,000 ft·lb/min |
| 3 hp | 99,000 ft·lb/min |
| 5 hp | 165,000 ft·lb/min |
| 10 hp | 330,000 ft·lb/min |
| 20 hp | 660,000 ft·lb/min |
| 50 hp | 1,650,000 ft·lb/min |
| 100 hp | 3,300,000 ft·lb/min |
| 500 hp | 16,500,000.01 ft·lb/min |
| 1,000 hp | 33,000,000.03 ft·lb/min |
1 Horsepower = 33,000 Foot-pounds/min · multiply Horsepower by 33,000
About converting Horsepower to Foot-pounds/min
Horsepower (hp) and Foot-pounds/min (ft·lb/min) are both units of power, so converting between them is a single multiplication: multiply your Horsepower figure by 33,000. Ten Horsepower comes to 330,000 Foot-pounds/min, and a hundred works out at 3,300,000 Foot-pounds/min.
Rule of thumb: going from Horsepower to Foot-pounds/min multiplies, so the figure always grows — one Horsepower is already 33,000 Foot-pounds/min. If your answer came out smaller, you have the conversion the wrong way round.
What is a Horsepower?
Horsepower is a marketing unit that became a standard. James Watt devised it to sell steam engines to mine owners who had never bought an engine but had bought plenty of horses: by measuring what a draught horse could actually lift over a working day, he could quote an engine as worth so many horses and let the buyer do the arithmetic. Mechanical or imperial horsepower is defined as exactly 550 foot-pounds-force per second, which is why it lands on no tidy figure in watts. Two and a half centuries after the horses left, it is still how cars, outboards and lawn tractors are advertised.
What is a Foot-pound per Minute?
The foot-pound per minute is the raw ingredient horsepower was built from. It is exactly what it says: the work of lifting a pound through a foot, done once a minute. James Watt’s original estimates of what a horse could do were made in these terms, and mechanical horsepower is still formally defined as 33,000 of them — which is why horsepower converts to such an untidy number of watts. On its own the unit is now mostly a teaching device and a fixture of older American engineering texts, appearing where someone wants to show the arithmetic behind a horsepower rating rather than simply quote it.
To put both in perspective: a family hatchback makes something like 120 horsepower, while someone climbing stairs steadily works at a few thousand foot-pounds per minute.
The converter above updates as you type, and the table lists common values for quick reference. Need the opposite direction? Use the Foot-pounds/min to Horsepower converter, or browse all Power converters.
Frequently asked questions
How many Foot-pounds/min are in one Horsepower?
There are 33,000 Foot-pounds/min in one Horsepower.
How do I convert Horsepower to Foot-pounds/min?
Multiply the number of Horsepower by 33,000. For example, 10 Horsepower = 330,000 Foot-pounds/min.
What is 100 Horsepower in Foot-pounds/min?
100 Horsepower is equal to 3,300,000 Foot-pounds/min.
How do I convert Foot-pounds/min to Horsepower?
Multiply the Foot-pounds/min value by 0.0000303 (or divide by 33,000).
Is this Horsepower to Foot-pounds/min conversion exact?
The definition is exact — Horsepower and Foot-pounds/min are both fixed against the same base by international agreement — but the decimal shown here is rounded for readability, because the true ratio does not terminate. For engineering or scientific work, carry more decimal places than this page displays.
What is a Horsepower?
Horsepower is a marketing unit that became a standard. James Watt devised it to sell steam engines to mine owners who had never bought an engine but had bought plenty of horses: by measuring what a draught horse could actually lift over a working day, he could quote an engine as worth so many horses and let the buyer do the arithmetic. Mechanical or imperial horsepower is defined as exactly 550 foot-pounds-force per second, which is why it lands on no tidy figure in watts. Two and a half centuries after the horses left, it is still how cars, outboards and lawn tractors are advertised.
What is a Foot-pound per Minute?
The foot-pound per minute is the raw ingredient horsepower was built from. It is exactly what it says: the work of lifting a pound through a foot, done once a minute. James Watt’s original estimates of what a horse could do were made in these terms, and mechanical horsepower is still formally defined as 33,000 of them — which is why horsepower converts to such an untidy number of watts. On its own the unit is now mostly a teaching device and a fixture of older American engineering texts, appearing where someone wants to show the arithmetic behind a horsepower rating rather than simply quote it.