Joules to British thermal units

Type a value in joules to see it in British thermal units straight away, or type in the second box to convert back.

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Processing and privacy: The result is calculated inside your browser and your data is not sent to any server.

How to use it

  1. Type the value in the joules box.
  2. Read the result in British thermal units as you type, and pick the precision you need.
  3. Swap the direction to convert back, or copy the result.

How it is calculated

BTU = J × 0.0009478171203

Multiply the value in joules by 0.0009478171203 to get British thermal units.

Example

To convert 25 J to British thermal units: 25 × 0.0009478171203 = 0.0236954 BTU.

Conversion table

Joules (J)British thermal units (BTU)
10.000947817
20.00189563
30.00284345
50.00473909
100.00947817
200.0189563
250.0236954
500.0473909
1000.0947817
2500.236954
5000.473909
1,0000.947817

About the units

Joule
The SI unit of energy, equal to the work done by a force of one newton moving an object one meter.
British thermal unit
The imperial unit of heat, using the International Table definition of exactly 1055.05585262 joules. Seen in air conditioner and heater ratings.

Limits and caveats

  • Results are rounded for display and computed with the browser's floating point precision (about 15 significant digits).
  • Both unit factors are exact by their official definitions.

Questions about this tool

How many British thermal units are in one joule?

1 J = 0.000947817 BTU exactly.

How do I convert joules to British thermal units?

Use BTU = J × 0.0009478171203. For example, 25 J = 0.0236954 BTU.

How many joules are in one British thermal unit?

1 BTU = 1,055.06 J.

Which calorie do these converters use?

The thermochemical calorie, exactly 4.184 joules, the factor many countries use to turn kcal into kJ on food labels. The International Table calorie is 4.1868 joules, less than 0.07% larger.

What is the difference between kW and kWh?

A kilowatt is a unit of power, the rate of using energy, while a kilowatt-hour is an amount of energy. A 2 kW heater running for three hours uses 6 kWh.