The mechanical horsepower
Mechanical (imperial) horsepower is defined as exactly 550 ft·lbf/s, or approximately 745.7 W. It is the standard 'horsepower' in the US and is the unit most often quoted for American cars and motorcycles.
Mechanical horsepower to Metric horsepower Converter
1 hp = 1.01387 PS
1 mechanical horsepower equals 1.01387 metric horsepower. To convert mechanical horsepower to metric horsepower, multiply the mechanical horsepower value by 1.01387. For quick reference: 1 hp = 1.01387 PS, 5 hp = 5.06935 PS, 10 hp = 10.1387 PS, 100 hp = 101.387 PS.
Formula
Metric horsepower = Mechanical horsepower × 1.01387Quick
How to convert mechanical horsepower to metric horsepower
Take your value
Start with your value in mechanical horsepower.
Multiply by 1.01387
Multiply the mechanical horsepower value by 1.01387. This is the exact conversion factor from mechanical horsepower to metric horsepower.
Read the result
The product is your value in metric horsepower. For example, 5 hp × 1.01387 = 5.06935 PS.
Conversion formula
The exact factor from mechanical horsepower to metric horsepower is 1.01387.
Metric horsepower = Mechanical horsepower × 1.01387
Mechanical horsepower to Metric horsepower conversion table
Fifty common reference values, hand-picked for skim utility. Use the calculator above for any value not listed.
| Mechanical horsepower (hp) | Metric horsepower (PS) |
|---|---|
| 0.1 hp | 0.10139 PS |
| 0.5 hp | 0.50693 PS |
| 1 hp | 1.0139 PS |
| 2 hp | 2.0277 PS |
| 5 hp | 5.0693 PS |
| 8 hp | 8.111 PS |
| 10 hp | 10.139 PS |
| 15 hp | 15.208 PS |
| 20 hp | 20.277 PS |
| 25 hp | 25.347 PS |
| 30 hp | 30.416 PS |
| 40 hp | 40.555 PS |
| 50 hp | 50.693 PS |
| 60 hp | 60.832 PS |
| 75 hp | 76.04 PS |
| 100 hp | 101.39 PS |
| 125 hp | 126.73 PS |
| 150 hp | 152.08 PS |
| 200 hp | 202.77 PS |
| 250 hp | 253.47 PS |
| 300 hp | 304.16 PS |
| 400 hp | 405.55 PS |
| 500 hp | 506.93 PS |
| 600 hp | 608.32 PS |
| 750 hp | 760.4 PS |
| 800 hp | 811.1 PS |
| 1000 hp | 1013.9 PS |
| 1200 hp | 1216.6 PS |
| 1500 hp | 1520.8 PS |
| 1800 hp | 1825 PS |
| 2000 hp | 2027.7 PS |
| 2500 hp | 2534.7 PS |
| 3000 hp | 3041.6 PS |
| 5000 hp | 5069.3 PS |
| 7500 hp | 7604 PS |
| 10000 hp | 10139 PS |
| 15000 hp | 15208 PS |
| 20000 hp | 20277 PS |
| 25000 hp | 25347 PS |
| 50000 hp | 50693 PS |
| 75000 hp | 76040 PS |
| 100000 hp | 101387 PS |
| 200000 hp | 202774 PS |
| 500000 hp | 506935 PS |
| 1000000 hp | 1013870 PS |
| 2000000 hp | 2027739 PS |
| 5000000 hp | 5069348 PS |
| 10000000 hp | 10138697 PS |
| 100000000 hp | 101386967 PS |
| 1000000000 hp | 1013869665 PS |
Real-world reference
A modern compact car produces 130–200 hp. A standard human can sustain about 0.1 hp indefinitely. In metric horsepower, that gives you: 1 hp = 1.01387 PS, 10 hp = 10.1387 PS, 100 hp = 101.387 PS.
Frequently asked questions
- How many metric horsepower are in 1 mechanical horsepower?
- 1 mechanical horsepower equals 1.01387 metric horsepower.
- How do I convert mechanical horsepower to metric horsepower?
- Multiply the mechanical horsepower value by 1.01387. So x hp × 1.01387 = the equivalent in PS.
- What is 5 mechanical horsepower in metric horsepower?
- 5 mechanical horsepower equals 5.06935 metric horsepower.
- What is 10 mechanical horsepower in metric horsepower?
- 10 mechanical horsepower equals 10.1387 metric horsepower.
- What is 100 mechanical horsepower in metric horsepower?
- 100 mechanical horsepower equals 101.387 metric horsepower.
- How do I convert back from metric horsepower to mechanical horsepower?
- Multiply the metric horsepower value by 0.98632. For example, 1 PS = 0.98632 hp.
- Is the mechanical horsepower bigger than the metric horsepower?
- Yes. 1 mechanical horsepower is larger than 1 metric horsepower — specifically 1.01387 times larger.
- Are these conversion factors exact?
- Yes. Since the 1959 international yard and pound agreement, imperial/US units are defined exactly in terms of metric units, so the factor used here (1.01387) is exact within IEEE 754 double precision.
About the mechanical horsepower and the metric horsepower
The metric horsepower
Metric horsepower (PS in German, CV in French and Italian) is defined as exactly 75 kgf·m/s, or 735.49875 W. It is about 1.4% smaller than mechanical (imperial) horsepower, which matters for spec comparisons across markets.