Convert Kilojoules to Kilocalories
Convert Kilojoules to Kilocalories instantly. 1 Kilojoule (kJ) equals 0.239 Kilocalories (kcal).
Kilojoules to Kilocalories conversion table
| Kilojoules (kJ) | Kilocalories (kcal) |
|---|---|
| 1 kJ | 0.239 kcal |
| 2 kJ | 0.478 kcal |
| 3 kJ | 0.717 kcal |
| 5 kJ | 1.195 kcal |
| 10 kJ | 2.3901 kcal |
| 20 kJ | 4.7801 kcal |
| 50 kJ | 11.9503 kcal |
| 100 kJ | 23.9006 kcal |
| 500 kJ | 119.5029 kcal |
| 1,000 kJ | 239.0057 kcal |
1 Kilojoule = 0.239 Kilocalories · multiply Kilojoules by 0.239
About converting Kilojoules to Kilocalories
Kilojoules (kJ) and Kilocalories (kcal) are both units of energy, so converting between them is a single multiplication: multiply your Kilojoules figure by 0.239. Ten Kilojoules comes to 2.3901 Kilocalories, and a hundred works out at 23.9006 Kilocalories.
Rule of thumb: going from Kilojoules to Kilocalories divides, so the figure always shrinks — it takes about 4.184 Kilojoules to make a single Kilocalory. If your answer came out bigger, you have the conversion the wrong way round.
What is a Kilojoule?
A kilojoule is a thousand joules, the size at which the joule becomes practical for everyday quantities. In Australia and New Zealand it is the primary unit on nutrition labels — food energy is quoted in kilojoules first, with calories relegated to a secondary figure or dropped entirely — so shoppers there think about daily intake in thousands of kilojoules rather than thousands of calories. It is also the working unit of chemistry, where reaction and bond energies are tabulated per mole. European labels print both kJ and kcal, which is why the same packet carries two different numbers for the same food.
What is a Kilocalory?
A kilocalorie is a thousand small calories, and it is what people actually mean when they say "calories" about food. Every figure on a nutrition label, every count on a menu board and every target in a diet app is a kilocalorie, even where the label just prints "cal" — a 2,000-calorie day is 2,000 kcal, not 2,000 calories in the physicist’s sense. The convention of capitalising the food unit as Calorie was meant to mark that difference, but it survives mostly in textbooks. Most of the world prints both kJ and kcal on packaging; the United States prints calories alone, which keeps the ambiguity alive.
To put both in perspective: a slice of bread carries roughly 300 kilojoules, while a plain bagel runs to roughly 250 kilocalories.
The converter above updates as you type, and the table lists common values for quick reference. Need the opposite direction? Use the Kilocalories to Kilojoules converter, or browse all Energy converters.
Frequently asked questions
How many Kilocalories are in one Kilojoule?
There are 0.239 Kilocalories in one Kilojoule.
How do I convert Kilojoules to Kilocalories?
Multiply the number of Kilojoules by 0.239. For example, 10 Kilojoules = 2.3901 Kilocalories.
What is 100 Kilojoules in Kilocalories?
100 Kilojoules is equal to 23.9006 Kilocalories.
How do I convert Kilocalories to Kilojoules?
Multiply the Kilocalories value by 4.184 (or divide by 0.239).
Is this Kilojoules to Kilocalories conversion exact?
The definition is exact — Kilojoules and Kilocalories 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 Kilojoule?
A kilojoule is a thousand joules, the size at which the joule becomes practical for everyday quantities. In Australia and New Zealand it is the primary unit on nutrition labels — food energy is quoted in kilojoules first, with calories relegated to a secondary figure or dropped entirely — so shoppers there think about daily intake in thousands of kilojoules rather than thousands of calories. It is also the working unit of chemistry, where reaction and bond energies are tabulated per mole. European labels print both kJ and kcal, which is why the same packet carries two different numbers for the same food.
What is a Kilocalory?
A kilocalorie is a thousand small calories, and it is what people actually mean when they say "calories" about food. Every figure on a nutrition label, every count on a menu board and every target in a diet app is a kilocalorie, even where the label just prints "cal" — a 2,000-calorie day is 2,000 kcal, not 2,000 calories in the physicist’s sense. The convention of capitalising the food unit as Calorie was meant to mark that difference, but it survives mostly in textbooks. Most of the world prints both kJ and kcal on packaging; the United States prints calories alone, which keeps the ambiguity alive.