Power Converters - Watt, Kilowatt, Milliwatt, Megawatt, Horsepower, BTU/hr Converters

This power converter can convert among various power units, Watts, kilowatts, milliwatts, megawatts, horsepower, BTU/hr, etc. Select any power unit to enter the value, click the convert button to get other all the conversion results in other power units.

Type milliwatts:mW
Type watts:W
Type kilowatts:kW
Type megawatts:MW
Type gigawatts:GW
Type BTU/hr:BTUIT/hr
Type horsepower (mechanic):hp(I)
Type horsepower (electric):hp(E)
Type decibel-milliwatts:dBm
Type decibel-watts:dBW

Knowledge of converter

The watt (symbol: W) is a unit of power. In the International System of Units (SI) it is defined as a derived unit of 1 joule per second,[1] and is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer.

The megawatt (MW) is equal to one million (106) watts. Many events or machines produce or sustain the conversion of energy on this scale, including large electric motors; large warships such as aircraft carriers, cruisers, and submarines; large server farms or data centers; and some scientific research equipment, such as supercolliders, and the output pulses of very large lasers. A large residential or commercial building may use several megawatts in electric power and heat. On railways, modern high-powered electric locomotives typically have a peak power output of 5 or 6 MW, although some produce much more.

The gigawatt (GW) is equal to one billion (109) watts or 1 gigawatt = 1000 megawatts. This unit is often used for large power plants or power grids. For example, by the end of 2010 power shortages in China's Shanxi province were expected to increase to 5–6 GW and the installed capacity of wind power in Germany was 25.8 GW. The largest unit (out of four) of the Belgian Doel Nuclear Power Station has a peak output of 1.04 GW. HVDC converters have been built with power ratings of up to 2 GW.

The decibel watt or dBW is a unit for the measurement of the strength of a signal expressed in decibels relative to one watt. It is used because of its capability to express both very large and very small values of power in a short range of number; e.g., 1 milliwatt = −30 dBW, 1 watt = 0 dBW, 10 watts = 10 dBW, 100 watts = 20 dBW, and 1,000,000 W = 60 dBW.

Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power (the rate at which work is done). There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions being used today are the mechanical horsepower (or imperial horsepower), which is about 745.7 watts, and the metric horsepower, which is approximately 735.5 watts.

SI multiples for watt (W) table

SI multiples for watt (W)
SubmultiplesMultiples
ValueSI symbolNameValueSI symbolName
10 −1WdWdeciwatt10 1WdaWdecawatt
10 −2WcWcentiwatt10 2WhWhectowatt
10 −3WmWmilliwatt10 3WkWkilowatt
10 −6WµWmicrowatt10 6WMWmegawatt
10 −9WnWnanowatt10 9WGWgigawatt
10 −12WpWpicowatt10 12WTWterawatt
10 −15WfWfemtowatt10 15WPWpetawatt
10 −18WaWattowatt10 18WEWexawatt
10 −21WzWzeptowatt10 21WZWzettawatt
10 −24WyWyoctowatt10 24WYWyottawatt