Free tool
kW to HP Calculator
Horsepower is kilowatts times 1,000 divided by the watts in a horsepower — and there are three horsepowers, and a motor's horsepower is shaft output, not what it draws.
hp = kW × 1.341
hp = kW × 1,000 ÷ 745.7, or about kW × 1.341. 10 kW is 13.41 hp mechanical, 13.40 hp electrical (746 W) and 13.60 PS metric.
If the kW is what a motor draws, multiply by efficiency first: 8.33 kW in at 90% is 7.5 kW at the shaft — about 10 hp, not 11.2. The inverse is the hp to kW calculator.
The rating
Enter 750 W as 0.75.
The answer
Horsepower — Mechanical (imperial) hp
13.41 hp
hp = kW × 1,000 ÷ 745.7 → 10.00 × 1,000 ÷ 745.7
The same 10.00 kW in each horsepower
| Mechanical (imperial) hp | 13.41 hp |
| Electrical hp | 13.40 hp |
| Metric hp (PS / CV) | 13.60 hp |
Metric figures run about 1.4% higher than imperial for the same power, because the metric horsepower is the smaller unit.
Where this sits among standard motor ratings
13.40 electrical hp falls between the standard ratings of 10 hp and 15 hp. This helps read a plate stated in the other unit. It is not a motor selection — that depends on the driven load, duty and service factor.
What this does not tell you
Motor circuit sizing. NEC Article 430 sizes motor branch circuits from its full-load current tables by horsepower, not from this conversion. Current. Use the kW to amps calculator with the electrical input. Boiler horsepower is a unit of heat output, roughly 9.8 kW, and is not any of the three here.
Informational use only, please verify before you rely on it
This reproduces the standard definitions of mechanical horsepower (550 ft·lbf/s, about 745.7 W), electrical horsepower (746 W) and metric horsepower (about 735.5 W). It is a unit conversion, not a determination. It does not select motors or size conductors, overcurrent protection or motor branch circuits, which NEC Article 430 governs. Confirm against the equipment nameplate and with the authority having jurisdiction.
This tool is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. Its output is an illustrative estimate generated from the values you enter and from general assumptions that will not match every deal, market, lender, or homeowner. It is not tax, legal, accounting, financial, or professional advice, and it is not a quote, an offer, a credit decision, or a guarantee of pricing, approval, timing, savings, or eligibility.
You are solely responsible for independently confirming all information presented here including any figures, rates, fees, margins, timelines, tax treatment, and federal, state, local, or utility incentives, with the applicable lender, authority having jurisdiction, and your own qualified tax, legal, and financial advisors before acting on it, relying on it, or presenting it to a homeowner or any third party. Incentive programs, lender terms, and permitting requirements change frequently and vary by jurisdiction.
Seamless Home is not a tax advisor, law firm, lender, or licensed installing contractor, and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, or currency of the information produced by this tool. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Seamless Home accepts no liability for any decision made or action taken in reliance on it.
Input kW is not output horsepower
A motor's horsepower rating is what it delivers at the shaft. The kilowatts a meter, a clamp reading or an energy label reports are what it takes from the supply, and the difference is the motor's losses. Converting input kW straight to horsepower credits the motor with power it turns into heat. The same distinction runs the other way on the kW to amps calculator and the kW to kVA calculator, both of which ask what a motor's kW describes before they convert it.
The unit question is smaller but real. A European car listed at 100 kW is 134 hp in US terms and 136 PS in its own brochure; neither figure is wrong. For current rather than power, start from the electrical input and use kW to amps; for why a motor's kVA runs higher than its kW, see what power factor is.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you convert kW to hp?+
Multiply kW by 1.341 for mechanical (imperial) horsepower: hp = kW × 1,000 ÷ 745.7. 10 kW is about 13.41 hp. For metric horsepower (PS) divide by 735.5 W instead, which gives about 13.60 PS for the same 10 kW.
How many hp is 1 kW?+
About 1.341 mechanical horsepower, 1.340 electrical horsepower (746 W each), or 1.360 metric horsepower (735.5 W each). The differences are small but they are not rounding — they are three different units.
Which horsepower should I use?+
Mechanical (imperial) hp for US engines and general figures, electrical hp (exactly 746 W) when reading a US motor nameplate, and metric hp — PS in German, CV in French and Italian — for European and Japanese vehicle ratings. The tool shows all three side by side so the choice is visible.
Why does my motor's kW convert to more horsepower than its nameplate?+
Because the kW you started from was probably electrical input, and horsepower on a motor is shaft output. Output is input times efficiency. A motor drawing 8.33 kW at 90 percent efficiency delivers about 7.5 kW at the shaft — about 10 hp, not the 11.2 hp a straight conversion of 8.33 kW would report.
What is 7.5 kW in hp?+
About 10.06 mechanical horsepower, or 10.05 electrical horsepower. That is why a 7.5 kW IEC motor and a 10 hp NEMA motor are treated as equivalent ratings.
Is boiler horsepower the same thing?+
No. Boiler horsepower is a unit of heat output — roughly 9.8 kW — used for steam and hot-water boilers. It is more than thirteen times a mechanical horsepower and does not convert with this tool.
Does this size a motor or its circuit?+
No. It converts a power figure between units. NEC Article 430 sizes motor branch circuits from its full-load current tables, selected by horsepower and voltage, not from a converted kW. Choosing a motor depends on the driven load, duty cycle and service factor.
Related resources
HP to kW Calculator
The inverse — shaft kW, and the electrical input once efficiency is applied.
Learn more →kW to Amps Calculator
Current from a kW rating, including a motor's shaft output.
Learn more →kW to kVA Calculator
Apparent power from real power, with the motor efficiency applied.
Learn more →What Is Power Factor?
Why motors separate kW from kVA.
Learn more →Ratings read the way the nameplate wrote them
Seamless Home runs the design, permit and interconnection layer for the partners it works with — which is where a motor or equipment rating gets read as the figure it actually is. Coverage is confirmed per service area rather than promised as blanket availability.
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