Calorie (IT) to BTU

What is Calorie (IT)?

The calorie (symbol: cal) is a unit of energy that was originally defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius at a pressure of one atmosphere.

Note that this unit is the “small calorie.” The calorie typically seen on food labels is the “large calorie” or kilocalorie (kcal).

Common Uses

Calories are primarily used in the fields of chemistry and physics. In nutrition, the kilocalorie (often just called “Calorie”) is the standard unit for measuring the energy people get from eating and drinking.

What is BTU?

The British thermal unit (symbol: BTU) is a traditional unit of heat in the imperial system.

It is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.

Common Uses

BTUs are commonly used in the United States and the United Kingdom to measure the heating and cooling capacity of air conditioners, furnaces, and other HVAC systems.