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Kilojoules to Calories

Convert kilojoules to calories instantly, with a reference table.

Kilojoules to Calories at a glance

Kilojoules to Calories is a free online converter you can use right now to convert kilojoules to calories instantly, with a reference table โ€” no account, no install and no usage limit. It runs entirely inside your browser, so whatever you enter stays on your own device.

Price
Free โ€” no trial, no paid tier, no watermark
Sign-up
Not required
Where it runs
In your browser โ€” nothing is uploaded to a server
Works on
Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge โ€” desktop, tablet and phone
Category
Unit Conversions
239.00574
1 kJ = 239.00574 cal

Kilojoules to Calories conversion table

Kilojoules (kJ)Calories (cal)
1 kJ239.00574 cal
2 kJ478.01147 cal
3 kJ717.01721 cal
5 kJ1,195.0287 cal
10 kJ2,390.0574 cal
25 kJ5,975.1434 cal
50 kJ11,950.287 cal
100 kJ23,900.574 cal
500 kJ119,502.87 cal
1000 kJ239,005.74 cal

About Kilojoules to Calories

Convert kilojoules to calories instantly, with a reference table of common values. The factor is exact: 1 kJ = 239.005736138 cal.

Needed to read European, Australian and New Zealand food labelling, which states energy in kilojoules, against dietary advice given in calories.

The kilojoule is 1,000 joules, adopted for food energy labelling because joule values for meals would otherwise run into hundreds of thousands. It is the primary food energy unit in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, usually printed alongside kilocalories. One kilocalorie is 4.184 kJ, so a 2,000 kcal daily intake is about 8,400 kJ.

Worked through with real numbers: 1 kJ is 239.006 cal, 100 kJ is 23900.574 cal, 2000 kJ is 478011.472 cal.

As for the other side of the conversion: one calorie is 4.184 joules โ€” one thousandth of the 'calorie' quoted on food labels.

Energy conversions run into the calorie problem: the calorie on a food label is really a kilocalorie, a thousand times the calorie used in chemistry. Mixing the two produces errors of a factor of a thousand.

How to use Kilojoules to Calories

  1. Enter the number of kilojoules you want to convert.
  2. The equivalent in calories appears instantly โ€” there is no button to press.
  3. Check the reference table for common Kilojoules to Calories values.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert kilojoules to calories?

Multiply your kilojoules figure by 239.005736138 to get calories โ€” or type a value above and read the answer straight off.

How many calories are in one kilojoule?

1 kJ = 239.005736138 cal.

When would I need to convert kilojoules to calories?

Needed to read European, Australian and New Zealand food labelling, which states energy in kilojoules, against dietary advice given in calories.

What is a kilojoule, exactly?

The kilojoule is 1,000 joules, adopted for food energy labelling because joule values for meals would otherwise run into hundreds of thousands. One kilocalorie is 4.184 kJ, so a 2,000 kcal daily intake is about 8,400 kJ.

Where is the calorie actually used?

The small calorie is used in chemistry and physics. It is not the unit on food packaging, despite the shared name. One calorie is 4.184 joules โ€” one thousandth of the 'calorie' quoted on food labels.

Is there anything tricky about energy conversions?

Energy conversions run into the calorie problem: the calorie on a food label is really a kilocalorie, a thousand times the calorie used in chemistry. Mixing the two produces errors of a factor of a thousand.

Is this converter accurate?

Yes. It uses the exact standard factor of 1 kJ = 239.005736138 cal, and the conversion runs in your browser so nothing is uploaded.

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