Convert between all common torque units with interactive calculators and reference tables. The two most looked-up are N·m to ft·lbs and inch-pounds to foot-pounds.
ft·lbs = N·m × 0.7375621
N·m = ft·lbs × 1.3558179
in·lbs = N·m × 8.8507458
N·m = in·lbs × 0.1129848
kgf·cm = N·m × 10.19716
N·m = kgf·cm × 0.0980665
ft·lbs = in·lbs ÷ 12
N·m is the SI unit and appears on almost every metric service manual and on ISO and VDI standards. ft·lbs is the everyday unit in North American automotive and construction work, while in·lbs covers the small end — trim screws, spark plugs in some manuals, electronics and bicycle components — where ft·lbs would need decimals. kgf·cm still turns up on Japanese and older Asian equipment and on many small torque screwdrivers.
The factors are exact definitions, not measurements: 1 ft·lb is 1.3558179 N·m, 1 in·lb is one twelfth of that (0.1129848 N·m), and 1 kgf·cm is 0.0980665 N·m. Rounding the factor to 1.36 or 0.74 introduces well under 1% error, far less than the ±25% scatter in the torque–tension relationship itself, but round only the final answer, not intermediate steps.
A quick sanity check: N·m values are always about a third larger than the equivalent ft·lbs, and in·lbs are always twelve times ft·lbs. If a converted figure breaks either rule, a unit label has been mixed up somewhere.