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Convert between kilocalories (food Calories) and small calories with real-time bidirectional conversion.
1 kilocalorie = 1000 calories
calories = kilocalories × 1000
Note: Food "Calories" (capital C) = kilocalories (kcal)
| Kilocalories (kcal) | Calories (cal) |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 100 |
| 0.5 | 500 |
| 1 | 1,000 |
| 2 | 2,000 |
| 5 | 5,000 |
| 10 | 10,000 |
| 50 | 50,000 |
| 100 | 100,000 |
| 200 | 200,000 |
| 500 | 500,000 |
| 1,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 2,000 | 2,000,000 |
A kilocalorie (kcal), also known as a large calorie or food Calorie (with capital C), equals 1000 small calories. It's the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. This is the unit used on food nutrition labels worldwide, although it's often simply labeled as "Calories" in the United States.
This is one of the most common sources of confusion in nutrition and science. When a food label says "200 Calories," it actually means 200 kilocalories or 200,000 small calories. The capital "C" in Calorie indicates kilocalories, while lowercase "c" in calorie refers to the small calorie used in chemistry and physics. Always pay attention to this distinction when reading scientific papers or nutrition information.
Understanding the kcal-cal relationship is essential for anyone working with nutritional data or dietary planning. Dietitians, nutritionists, and health professionals use kilocalories to measure food energy. An average adult needs about 2000-2500 kcal per day, which is actually 2-2.5 million small calories. This demonstrates why the larger unit (kcal) is more practical for nutrition.
In scientific literature, particularly in chemistry and calorimetry, the small calorie (cal) is still used. Medical and sports science research often uses kilocalories when discussing metabolism and energy expenditure. When converting between nutritional information and scientific measurements, always verify which unit is being used to avoid errors of 1000x in calculations.
One kilocalorie equals exactly 1000 calories. This is a simple conversion: kcal × 1000 = cal. For example, 2 kcal = 2000 cal.
In the United States and some other countries, food labels use "Calorie" (with capital C) as shorthand for kilocalorie. This convention has been standard for decades. In many other countries, labels explicitly state "kcal" to avoid confusion. Both refer to the same unit: 1 Calorie = 1 kcal = 1000 cal.
Use kilocalories (kcal) or Calories (capital C) for tracking food intake and dietary planning. These are the standard units in nutrition. Small calories are only used in scientific contexts like chemistry experiments. Most food tracking apps and nutrition databases use kcal/Calories.
Since 1 food Calorie = 1 kcal = 1000 cal, and 1 cal = 4.184 joules, then 1 food Calorie = 4184 joules or 4.184 kilojoules (kJ). Many countries outside the US use kilojoules on food labels instead of Calories.