Power Converter

About GeekFormat

1Kilowatt = 1000Watt

1000

International System (SI)

Watt (W)1000

Kilowatt (kW)1

Megawatt (MW)0.001

Horsepower

Metric Horsepower (ps)1.359622

Imperial Horsepower (hp)1.341022

This free online power converter covers watt (W), kilowatt (kW), megawatt (MW), mechanical horsepower (hp), and metric horsepower (PS). Enter any value to convert instantly between SI power units and the two horsepower standards most often seen in vehicle, motor, pump, compressor, and generator specs. Everything runs locally in your browser with no uploads.

Unit Converter

Centralized entrance to 35 unit categories, suitable for switching back and forth between different unit types

Energy Converter

Many people confuse kW and kWh; when you are really dealing with cumulative energy consumption, look at energy units instead

Torque conversion

In engines, motors and mechanical transmissions, power and torque usually need to be matched and compared.

Voltage Converter

Current Converter

How power units and horsepower conversion work

Power measures how fast work is done or energy is transferred. In SI units, the base expression is the watt: 1 W = 1 J/s. Motors, pumps, compressors, generators, and vehicle drivetrains all use power to describe output or consumption over time.

W, kW, and MW are decimal multiples of the same SI quantity. 1 kW = 1000 W and 1 MW = 1000 kW. Small electronics may stay in watts, industrial motors often sit in kilowatts, and large utility or plant systems move into megawatts.

Horsepower is older and more common in product marketing, but it is not a single universal standard. This page distinguishes mechanical horsepower (hp) from metric horsepower (PS), and the difference matters whenever you compare catalogs from different regions.

The conversion itself is linear. The tool converts your input to a base watt value and then divides by the target unit factor. That is why power conversion is well suited to instant browser-side calculation.

What unit conversion does not solve is meaning. Rated power, peak power, continuous power, shaft power, input power, and output power are different technical concepts. Confirm the field definition first, then convert the unit.

Use Cases

Convert motor nameplate values between kW and hp before selecting a replacement unit
Compare kW, PS, and hp across car, motorcycle, marine, or industrial engine spec sheets
Normalize power units in generator, pump, fan, and compressor catalogs
Build procurement comparison tables when suppliers quote different power units
Translate imported equipment manuals back to kW for local engineering review
Standardize power units in tenders, quotations, and technical clarification documents
Check UPS, inverter, and industrial control equipment ratings in a single unit system
Explain W, kW, MW, hp, and PS in training material or classroom exercises
Expand results to see the same value in every supported power unit at once
Clean up mixed-unit data in second-hand equipment inventories or refurbishment lists
Avoid confusion between kW and W or between hp and PS in agricultural or workshop equipment
Unify historical reporting data before adding it to an internal wiki or knowledge base
Compare the official kW figure with the horsepower wording shown in vehicle registration documents
Write both kW and horsepower in Amazon or eBay listings for generators, pumps, or used engines
Match marketing horsepower claims to the technical kW numbers in local HVAC or outboard catalogs

How to Use

Enter a power value such as 5, 15, 75, or 0.75 in the left input field
Choose the source unit: W, kW, MW, PS, or hp
Choose the target unit to see the converted result instantly
Use the swap button to reverse the direction without retyping the value
Open the expanded results panel if you want to compare the same number across all supported units

Features

Covers 5 common power units: W, kW, MW, mechanical horsepower (hp), and metric horsepower (PS)
Instant two-way conversion between any source and target unit with no form submission
Swap button for quick reverse checks such as hp → kW and kW → hp
Expanded results panel lets you view the same value across all supported power units at once
Uses explicit built-in factors: 1 kW = 1000 W, 1 hp ≈ 745.6998715822702 W, 1 PS = 735.49875 W
Scientific notation display helps when reading very small or very large values
Browser-local processing means no server upload, no logging, and reliable offline use after load

W, kW, MW, PS, hp, which one should I look at?

These units all represent power, but the difference is not small in which data they appear more commonly and what they are suitable for comparison.

unit	meaning	most common scenarios	Use reminder
`W`	Basic SI power unit, 1 W = 1 J/s	Electronic circuits, small equipment, home appliances, driver boards, laboratory instruments	Suitable for small power values; once it reaches hundreds or thousands of W, it is usually rewritten to kW for easier readability
`kW`	1000 W, corresponding to the most commonly used power writing method for medium-sized equipment	Motor, air conditioner, water pump, air compressor, inverter, vehicle rated power	It is most common in technical documents and legal documents, and is most suitable for unifying the caliber across industries.
`MW`	1000 kW for higher power levels	Large units, power generation, public utilities, park-level drive systems	The order of magnitude span is large. When reading the meter, first confirm the decimal point and unit prefix.
`PS`	Metric horsepower, 1 PS = 735.49875 W	European vehicle information, some machinery catalogs, "horsepower" in user spoken language	It is common to see cars and machinery, but it must be distinguished from the hp
`hp`	Mechanical horsepower, 1 hp = 745.6998715822702 W	American engines, pumps, compressors, industrial catalogs, English materials	It is not the same unit as PS; it is most likely to be confused when comparing data across regions.

Best Practices

Confirm whether a source uses hp or PS before comparing numbers

The gap is small, but it is real. Mixing the two can make different products look more similar than they are.

Read the label before the unit

Rated power, peak power, input power, and output power are not interchangeable even if the unit is the same.

Do not confuse kW with kWh

kW is instantaneous power. kWh is accumulated energy over time. If your real question is about usage or storage, switch to an energy converter.

Check voltage, current, or torque alongside power when selecting equipment

Power alone rarely tells the whole engineering story. Use it as one dimension of comparison, not the only one.

Pause on prefixes when reading large equipment tables

Confusing 0.75 MW with 0.75 kW or 750 kW with 750 W creates much larger mistakes than any rounding issue.

FAQ

How many hp and PS are in 1 kW?

Using the factors on this page, 1 kW = 1000 W ≈ 1.341022 hp ≈ 1.359622 PS. In the other direction, 1 hp ≈ 0.7457 kW and 1 PS ≈ 0.7355 kW.

Are hp and PS the same unit?

No. hp here means mechanical horsepower: 1 hp = 745.6998715822702 W. PS means metric horsepower: 1 PS = 735.49875 W. The difference is about 1.39%, so you should not treat them as interchangeable.

How many kW and W are in 1 MW?

1 MW = 1000 kW = 1,000,000 W. MW is common for large plants and utility-scale equipment, while kW is more common for motors, compressors, pumps, and vehicle rated output.

Why do some vehicle specs use kW while others use horsepower?

Technical and regulatory documents often prefer kW because it fits the SI system. Marketing pages, reviews, and enthusiast discussions often prefer horsepower because it feels more intuitive. It is best to keep both the original unit and the converted value when comparing.

Is rated power the same as peak power?

No. Rated power usually means the output or consumption a device can sustain over time. Peak power, maximum power, and peak horsepower may only appear for short bursts. This tool converts units only; it does not decide which power definition your source is using.

Which units are supported on this page?

This page currently supports exactly 5 units: W, kW, MW, hp, and PS. It does not currently cover BTU/h, ft·lb/s, GW, or other specialized power units.

Is the conversion accurate enough for nameplates and spec sheets?

Yes. The page uses fixed factors and straightforward multiplication or division, which is suitable for day-to-day comparison of motor plates, generator sheets, vehicle output tables, and procurement documents.

Can I swap the source and target unit with one click?

Yes. Use the swap button between the two unit selectors to reverse the conversion instantly.

Will my input values be uploaded?

No. All calculations happen locally in your browser. The values you enter are not sent to a server and are not written to server logs.

Does the tool work offline?

Yes. Once the page has loaded, the conversion logic runs in the browser and remains usable even if the network connection drops.

If a registration sheet shows kW and a marketplace listing shows horsepower, which should I trust?

Keep the original technical unit first, then use the converter to add the comparison value. In many markets, kW is the formal field while horsepower is the shopper-friendly wording.

On Amazon or eBay, should I list both kW and horsepower for motors or generators?

Yes. Using kW for the technical specification and horsepower for search-friendly wording usually helps readers understand the listing faster and captures more long-tail searches.

Glossary

Watt(W): The unit of power in the International System of Units, 1 W = 1 J/s. Low-power equipment, electronic circuits, driver boards, instruments and some home appliances often write W directly.
Kilowatt (kW): 1kW = 1000W. One of the most common power writing calibers for motors, air conditioner outdoor units, water pumps, air compressors, inverters, vehicle rated power, etc.
Megawatt (MW): 1 MW = 1000 kW = 1,000,000 watts. Used in large units, power generation, utilities and large industrial drive scenarios.
Mechanical horsepower (hp): This page is calculated based on mechanical horsepower, 1 hp = 745.6998715822702 W. Commonly found in American engines, pumps, compressors and some industrial catalogs.
Metric horsepower (PS): PS comes from the German Pferdestärke and is calculated on this page as 1 PS = 735.49875 W. It is very common in European vehicle and machinery materials, and is often compared with kW.
Rated power: The power value that the equipment can output or consume stably for a long time under specified conditions. Sizing, distribution, purchasing and reporting often prioritize rated power over peak power.
Peak power: The higher power value that the equipment can achieve under short-term working conditions. It is not equal to the continuous output capability, and should be looked at separately from the rated power when converting units.

Commonly used power conversion anchor points

Keeping these proportions in mind will make it much faster to read nameplates, vehicle data sheets and equipment catalogs on a daily basis.

starting point	Common conversion results	Common scenarios
`1kW`	`1000 W / 1.3410 hp / 1.3596 PS`	Motor, air conditioner, water pump, vehicle rated power
`1 hp`	`745.6999 W / 0.7457 kW / 1.0139 PS`	English engine, pump and compressor catalog
`1PS`	`735.4988 W / 0.7355 kW / 0.9863 hp`	European Vehicles and Machinery Information
`1MW`	`1000 kW / 1,000,000 W / 1341.0 hp`	Large units, power generation, public utilities
`100 hp`	`74.57 kW / 101.39 PS`	Vehicle power and small engine comparison

Common equipment power level reference

Determine the magnitude first, and then do the conversion. It is least likely to misread the unit prefix.

Equipment/Scene	Common power range	Reading Tips
handheld power tools	`500–1200 W`	Many home appliances and tools are written directly as W, which may not necessarily rise to kW.
Household split air conditioner compressor	`0.75–3 kW`	The colloquial expression "kW" and "several horses" often appear together in the catalogue.
Small water pump/fan	`0.37–2.2 kW`	Import catalogs may prefer to write hp, so you need to pay special attention to it.
Compact Passenger Car Engine	`70–150 kW`	Promotional pages often write PS / hp, and technical pages often write kW.
Industrial Air Compressors/Process Drives	`7.5–75 kW`	Procurement and tender forms often require uniform conversion to kW
Large power generation or utility equipment	`1–10 MW`	For MW level data, special attention should be paid to the decimal point and magnitude.

Privacy & Security

All power conversions on this page run entirely in your browser. Input values stay on your device, no requests are sent to a server for calculation, and nothing is written to localStorage by the tool itself.