To convert newton-meters to foot-pounds (N·m to ft·lb), multiply by 0.737562149. 1 newton-meter equals 0.737562149 ft·lb.
| newton-meters | foot-pounds |
|---|---|
| 1 newton-meter | 0.73756 ft·lb |
| 2 newton-meters | 1.4751243 ft·lb |
| 5 newton-meters | 3.6878107 ft·lb |
| 10 newton-meters | 7.3756215 ft·lb |
| 25 newton-meters | 18.439054 ft·lb |
| 50 newton-meters | 36.878107 ft·lb |
| 100 newton-meters | 73.756215 ft·lb |
| 250 newton-meters | 184.39054 ft·lb |
| 500 newton-meters | 368.78107 ft·lb |
| 1000 newton-meters | 737.56215 ft·lb |
Definition: The turning force from one newton of force applied at the end of a one-meter lever arm - what you feel when you tighten a bolt with a wrench.
History: Named for Isaac Newton, whose second law of motion underpins the newton itself as a force unit. Pairing it with a meter of leverage gives the SI's standard way to measure torque, the rotational cousin of ordinary force.
Current use: European and Asian car manuals, bicycle component specs, and virtually all modern engineering torque specifications outside the US.
Definition: The turning force from one pound of force applied at the end of a one-foot lever arm.
History: British physicist Arthur Mason Worthington actually proposed calling this "pound-foot" in his 1900 book Dynamics of Rotation, specifically to avoid confusing it with the identically-named foot-pound unit of energy - a real, separate quantity. The distinction never really caught on in everyday use: garages, manuals, and torque wrenches worldwide just say "ft-lbs" for both, and mechanics learn to tell them apart from context instead.
Current use: The dominant torque unit in the US - car manuals, torque wrenches, and workshop specs almost universally use ft-lb for anything beyond small fasteners.
The factor is approximately 0.737562149, which is derived rather than defined, so any decimal you see has been rounded somewhere.
For a quick estimate, multiply by 0.75. That is off by about 1.7%, which is fine for a rough figure and not fine for anything you are paying for or building to. When it matters, use 0.737562149. That figure is derived rather than defined, so it is itself approximate.
Going the other way, one foot-pound is 1.356 N·m, which is usually the easier direction to work in. Because the forward factor is small, watch the decimal place rather than the digits: a factor-of-ten slip is the common error, not a rounding one.
To anchor the scale: 2 newton-meters is about 1.48 ft·lb.