Joules to Calories (small) converter

Quick reference

Joules	Calories (small)
1	0.239006
2	0.478011
5	1.195029
10	2.390057
20	4.780115
25	5.975143
50	11.950287
100	23.900574
250	59.751434
500	119.502868
1,000	239.005736

About energy units

Energy's unit zoo exists because each field measured it before agreeing on the joule: food labels use kilocalories (confusingly printed as 'Calories'), electricity bills use kilowatt-hours, US heating equipment uses BTU, and chemistry uses the small calorie. Exact bridges: one food kilocalorie is 4,184 joules, one kilowatt-hour is 3.6 million joules (or 3,412 BTU). That means a 2,000 kcal daily diet is about 2.3 kWh, roughly what a fridge uses in a day.

More energy conversions

Calories (small) → Joules Kilocalories (food) → Kilojoules Kilojoules → Kilocalories (food)Kilowatt-hours → BTU Calories (small) → Joules BTU → Kilowatt-hours All converters

Frequently asked questions

What is the exact formula for Joules to Calories (small)?

Multiply the Joules value by 0.23900574. This comes from the exact unit definitions, not a rounded approximation.

Is this conversion exact?

The underlying ratio is exact where a legal definition exists (for example, 1 inch = 25.4 mm exactly). Displayed results are rounded to six decimal places for readability.

Can I convert Calories (small) back to Joules?

Yes. Use the reverse converter linked below, or just swap which field you type into: the live converter recalculates either direction.