Inch Pounds to Foot Pounds Converter

How this is calculated

A foot is 12 inches, so inch-pounds divide by 12 to give foot-pounds. Newton-meters and kilogram-force centimeters use fixed factors.

Formula

Frequently asked questions

How many ft-lb is 120 in-lb? Exactly 10 ft-lb.

How many in-lb is 1 ft-lb? 12 in-lb.

Worked example

A small fastener is specified at 120 in-lb. 120 ÷ 12 = 10 ft-lb, which is 120 × 0.11298 ≈ 13.56 N·m.

Common mistakes

• Treating in-lb and ft-lb as interchangeable, which would be off by a factor of 12.
• Using a large torque wrench for a small fastener, where its accuracy is poor at the low end.
• Forgetting to convert when the specification and the wrench use different units.

Tips

• Use an in-lb wrench for small torque and an ft-lb wrench for large torque.
• Torque wrenches are most accurate in the middle of their range.

More questions

Why are small torques given in inch-pounds? It keeps the numbers readable for small fasteners, such as 80 in-lb instead of 6.7 ft-lb.

How do I convert in-lb to Nm? Multiply by 0.1130, or use the factor above.

History and background

The inch-pound is a torque unit from the US customary system, where a pound of force acts at a distance of one inch. Engineering manuals use it for small fasteners, while larger bolts use foot-pounds or newton-meters. Each unit is defined in terms of the pound-force and the inch, so the conversion between them is exact.

Putting it to use

Use this converter for small engines, bicycles, electronics, scopes and appliances where the torque is low. For automotive wheels and larger bolts, use the newton-meters to foot-pounds converter. Always check the specification for the part.

Further questions

How many in-lb is 5 Nm? About 44.3 in-lb.

What is kgf·cm? A torque unit used in older metric specifications, equal to about 0.0981 N·m.