Convert Watt to Foot-Pound per Second (W → ft·lbf/s)

Converting watts to foot-pounds per second is straightforward: multiply by the conversion factor. Follow these three steps to do it by hand or in your head.

1. 1
   Take your value in watts

   Start with the number of watts (W) you want to convert.
2. 2
   Multiply by 0.737562

   The conversion factor from W to ft·lbf/s is 0.737562. Multiply your value by this number.
3. 3
   Read the result in foot-pounds per second

   The result is your value in foot-pounds per second (ft·lbf/s).

Multiply the value in watts by 0.737562. For the reverse direction, multiply by 1.355818.

• ✓1 W = 1 J/s = 1 V × 1 A (for DC).
• ✓LED lighting: 10× more efficient than incandescent.
• ✓For home appliances, rating × hours used = kWh.

• ✗Confusing watts (power) with joules (energy).
• ✗Assuming "100 W bulb" for LED — old incandescent rating.
• ✗Mixing W with V or A — different quantities.

What is the Watt?

The watt is the SI unit of power, equal to one joule per second (1 W = 1 J/s). Named after Scottish engineer James Watt (1736–1819), whose improvements to the steam engine sparked the Industrial Revolution, the watt unifies mechanical, electrical, and thermal power. A typical LED bulb consumes 8–12 W to produce as much light as a 60-W incandescent bulb. Human resting metabolism is about 80–100 W of heat output, while peak athletic performance reaches 400–1,500 W (briefly). The watt is fundamental in electrical engineering: P = V × I (power = voltage × current). It relates to the kilowatt (1 kW = 1,000 W), the megawatt (1 MW = 10⁶ W), horsepower (1 hp ≈ 745.7 W), and the BTU per hour (1 W ≈ 3.412 BTU/h). Light bulb and appliance ratings, electric motor outputs, and audio amplifier specifications all use the watt as the base unit.

• Light-bulb and appliance ratings
• Scientific and engineering power specs
• Radio and electronics power

What is the Foot-Pound per Second?

The foot-pound per second (ft·lb/s) is the American mechanical-power unit, used in engineering and machine-rating contexts. James Watt's original definition of 1 horsepower was 33,000 ft·lb/min = 550 ft·lb/s, so the foot-pound per second is the granular American power unit underlying horsepower calculations. It is rare in everyday use (kW or hp dominate American power specifications) but appears in engineering thermodynamics textbooks, mechanical-design calculations, and ballistics-energy contexts. The ft·lb/s relates to the watt (1 ft·lb/s ≈ 1.356 W), horsepower (550 ft·lb/s = 1 hp), and the BTU per hour (1 ft·lb/s ≈ 4.626 BTU/h). It is part of the legacy US customary unit system that retains a foothold in mechanical engineering despite metric advancement.

• Older US mechanical-engineering calculations
• Some US physics textbooks
• Classical-mechanics problems