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Engine power

Power output of an engine

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Source updated June 10, 2026

Engine power is the power that an engine can develop. It can be expressed in power units, most commonly kilowatt, metric horsepower (often abbreviated PS), or horsepower. In terms of internal combustion engines, the engine power usually describes the rated power, which is a power output that the engine can maintain over a long period of time according to a certain testing method, for example ISO 1585. In general though, an internal combustion engine has a power take-off shaft (the crankshaft), therefore, the rule for shaft power applies to internal combustion engines: Engine power is the product of the engine torque and the crankshaft's angular velocity.

01Definition

Power is the product of torque and angular velocity:

Let:

$P=$ Power in Watt (W)
$M=$ Torque in Newton-metre (N·m)
$n=$ Crankshaft speed per Second (s⁻¹)
$\omega =$ Angular velocity = $2\pi n$

Power is then:

$P=M\cdot \omega$

In internal combustion engines, the crankshaft speed $n$ is a more common figure than $\omega$ , so we can use $2\pi n$ instead, which is equivalent to $\omega$ :

$P=M\cdot 2\pi \cdot n$

Note that $n$ is per Second (s⁻¹). If we want to use the common per Minute (min⁻¹) instead, we have to divide $n$ by 60:

$P=M\cdot 2\pi \cdot {n \over 60}$

02Usage

Numerical value equations

The approximate numerical value equations for engine power from torque and crankshaft speed are:

International unit system (SI)

Let:

$P=$ Power in Kilowatt (kW)
$M=$ Torque in Newton-metre (N·m)
$n=$ Crankshaft speed per Minute (min⁻¹)

Then:

$P={M\cdot n \over 9550}$

Technical unit system (MKS)

$P=$ Power in Metric horsepower (hp, PS)
$M=$ Torque in Kilopondmetre (kp·m)
$n=$ Crankshaft speed per Minute (min⁻¹)

Then:

$P={M\cdot n \over 716}$

Imperial/U.S. Customary unit system

$P=$ Power in Horsepower (hp, bhp)
$M=$ Torque in Pound-force foot (lbf·ft)
$n=$ Crankshaft speed in Revolutions per Minute (rpm)

Then:

$P={M\cdot n \over 5252}$

Example

A diesel engine produces a torque $M$ of 234 N·m at $n$ 4200 min⁻¹, which is the engine's rated speed.

Let:

$M=234\,N\cdot m$
$n=4200\,{min}^{-1}=70\,s^{-1}$

Then:

$234\,N\cdot m\cdot 2\pi \cdot 70\,s^{-1}=102,919\,N\cdot m\cdot s^{-1}\approx 103\,kW$

or using the numerical value equation:

${234\cdot 4200 \over 9550}=102.91\approx 103$

The engine's rated power output is 103 kW.

03Units

	Kilowatt	Kilopondmetre per Second	Metric horsepower	Horsepower	Pound-force foot per minute
1 kW (= 1000 kg·m²·s⁻³) =	1	101.97	1.36	1.34	44,118
1 kp·m·s⁻¹ =	0.00980665	1	0.013	0.0132	433.981
1 PS =	0.73549875	75	1	0.986	32,548.56
1 hp =	0.7457	76.04	1.014	1	33,000
1 lbf·ft·min⁻¹ =	2.26·10⁻⁵	0.0023	2.99·10⁻⁵	3.03·10⁻⁵	1

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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Engine power”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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Engine power

01Definition

02Usage

Numerical value equations

International unit system (SI)

Technical unit system (MKS)

Imperial/U.S. Customary unit system

Example

03Units

Sources and credits

Related topics

List of production cars by power output