2 hp to W — 2 mechanical horsepower in watts
Exact 2 × 745.699872 = 1,491.4
2 mechanical horsepower in other units
| Watts | 1,491.4 | W |
|---|---|---|
| Kilowatts | 1.4914 | kW |
| Megawatts | 0.001491399743 | MW |
| Metric horsepower | 2.027739 | PS |
| BTU per hour | 5,088.87 | BTU/h |
| Foot-pounds per second | 1,100 | ft·lbf/s |
hp to W at a glance
| Mechanical horsepower | Watts |
|---|---|
| 1 hp | 745.699872 W |
| 2 hp | 1,491.4 W |
| 3 hp | 2,237.1 W |
| 5 hp | 3,728.5 W |
| 10 hp | 7,457 W |
| 20 hp | 14,914 W |
| 25 hp | 18,642.5 W |
| 50 hp | 37,284.99 W |
| 100 hp | 74,569.99 W |
| 250 hp | 186,424.97 W |
| 500 hp | 372,849.94 W |
| 1,000 hp | 745,699.87 W |
How to convert mechanical horsepower to watts
Multiply by 745.699872 — one mechanical horsepower is 745.699872 watts. That factor is exact: it comes from the definition of the units rather than from a measurement, so it will not change and does not need rounding.
Working 2 × 745.699872 = 1,491.4
In words: about one thousand four hundred ninety-one watts.
What these units are
The mechanical horsepower and the watt are covered in the power unit guide, along with every other unit on this page.
Questions
How many watts are in a mechanical horsepower?
One mechanical horsepower is 745.699872 watts. This figure is exact — it comes from the definition of the unit, not a measurement.
What is 2 mechanical horsepower in watts?
2 mechanical horsepower is 1,491.4 watts. The working is 2 × 745.699872 = 1,491.4.
Why does the same car have two different horsepower figures?
Because there are two horsepowers. Metric horsepower, written PS or CV, is 735.49875 W; mechanical horsepower, written hp or bhp, is about 745.7 W. A car sold as 150 PS in Germany is 148 hp in Britain, and nothing about the engine has changed.
Where does 746 watts come from?
From James Watt, who needed to sell steam engines to people who owned horses. He measured a mill horse turning a wheel and settled on 550 foot-pounds per second — a figure most real horses cannot sustain, which made the comparison flattering to his engines.
How do I read an air conditioner's BTU rating?
BTU ratings are BTU per hour, a rate of heat movement, even when the "per hour" is dropped. A 12,000 BTU/h unit shifts about 3.5 kW of heat. That is not what it draws from the wall — a decent unit moves several times more heat than the electricity it consumes.
What is the difference between power and energy?
Power is a rate, energy is an amount. A kilowatt is how fast something uses energy; a kilowatt-hour is how much it used. A 2 kW heater running for three hours has a power of 2 kW throughout and has consumed 6 kWh. Bills are in energy; ratings are in power.