Convert Watts to Metric Horsepower
Convert Watts to Metric Horsepower instantly. 1 Watt (W) equals 0.00136 Metric Horsepower (PS).
Watts to Metric Horsepower conversion table
| Watts (W) | Metric Horsepower (PS) |
|---|---|
| 1 W | 0.00136 PS |
| 2 W | 0.002719 PS |
| 3 W | 0.004079 PS |
| 5 W | 0.006798 PS |
| 10 W | 0.0136 PS |
| 20 W | 0.02719 PS |
| 50 W | 0.06798 PS |
| 100 W | 0.136 PS |
| 500 W | 0.6798 PS |
| 1,000 W | 1.3596 PS |
1 Watt = 0.00136 Metric Horsepower · multiply Watts by 0.00136
About converting Watts to Metric Horsepower
Watts (W) and Metric Horsepower (PS) are both units of power, so converting between them is a single multiplication: multiply your Watts figure by 0.00136. Ten Watts comes to 0.0136 Metric Horsepower, and a hundred works out at 0.136 Metric Horsepower.
Rule of thumb: going from Watts to Metric Horsepower divides, so the figure always shrinks — it takes about 735.4988 Watts to make a single Metric Horsepower. If your answer came out bigger, you have the conversion the wrong way round.
What is a Watt?
The watt is the SI unit of power — one joule per second — named after James Watt, whose steam-engine improvements did as much as anything to make the idea of power commercially interesting. It measures a rate, not an amount: a watt tells you how fast energy is being moved or converted and says nothing on its own about how much has been used. That is the entire difference between the watts printed on a light bulb and the kilowatt-hours printed on the bill. It is also deliberately universal — the same unit rates a bulb, a loudspeaker, an engine, a laser and a cyclist on a hill.
What is a Metric Horsepower?
Metric horsepower is why the same car is advertised with two different "horsepower" numbers depending on which side of the Atlantic you read about it. It is defined as exactly 75 kilogram-force metres per second, which makes it slightly smaller than the mechanical horsepower used in Britain and America — so the European figure for an identical engine always comes out a little higher, and neither number is wrong. It is written PS in Germany, from Pferdestärke, and turns up as CV or hk elsewhere. Enthusiast arguments about a car’s "real" output are very often just this unit mismatch.
To put both in perspective: an LED bulb bright enough for a room draws about 10 watts, while a hot hatch might be advertised at 200 PS in Germany.
The converter above updates as you type, and the table lists common values for quick reference. Need the opposite direction? Use the Metric Horsepower to Watts converter, or browse all Power converters.
Frequently asked questions
How many Metric Horsepower are in one Watt?
There are 0.00136 Metric Horsepower in one Watt.
How do I convert Watts to Metric Horsepower?
Multiply the number of Watts by 0.00136. For example, 10 Watts = 0.0136 Metric Horsepower.
What is 100 Watts in Metric Horsepower?
100 Watts is equal to 0.136 Metric Horsepower.
How do I convert Metric Horsepower to Watts?
Multiply the Metric Horsepower value by 735.4988 (or divide by 0.00136).
Is this Watts to Metric Horsepower conversion exact?
The definition is exact — Watts and Metric Horsepower 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 Watt?
The watt is the SI unit of power — one joule per second — named after James Watt, whose steam-engine improvements did as much as anything to make the idea of power commercially interesting. It measures a rate, not an amount: a watt tells you how fast energy is being moved or converted and says nothing on its own about how much has been used. That is the entire difference between the watts printed on a light bulb and the kilowatt-hours printed on the bill. It is also deliberately universal — the same unit rates a bulb, a loudspeaker, an engine, a laser and a cyclist on a hill.
What is a Metric Horsepower?
Metric horsepower is why the same car is advertised with two different "horsepower" numbers depending on which side of the Atlantic you read about it. It is defined as exactly 75 kilogram-force metres per second, which makes it slightly smaller than the mechanical horsepower used in Britain and America — so the European figure for an identical engine always comes out a little higher, and neither number is wrong. It is written PS in Germany, from Pferdestärke, and turns up as CV or hk elsewhere. Enthusiast arguments about a car’s "real" output are very often just this unit mismatch.