Kilojoules to Calories Converter

1 kcal equals exactly 4.184 kJ when using the thermochemical calorie. This calculator uses that relation. Divide kJ by 4.184 to get kcal, or multiply kcal by 4.184 to get kJ.

No. In this converter, a lowercase calorie is the thermochemical calorie, equal to 4.184 J. A capital-C Calorie is the food Calorie, equal to 1,000 cal, 1 kcal, or 4,184 J. Nutrition labels usually mean food Calories even when they print calories, so 200 calories on a granola bar is 200 kcal, not 200 cal.

Australia, New Zealand, and the EU mandate kJ as the primary energy unit on nutrition panels (kcal is allowed as a secondary value). The US, Canada, and most of Latin America use 'Calories' (kcal) as the only printed unit. The underlying energy is identical: a 100 g chocolate bar at 2,250 kJ in Sydney is the same 538 kcal as in New York. The label difference is regulatory, not physical.

The word can mean two different quantities. In this converter, cal is 4.184 J and Calorie is 4,184 J, a thousand times larger. Nutrition writing often uses kcal or kJ to make the intended unit clear. On US food labels, Calories means kcal.

A Big Mac is about 540 kcal, which equals 2,260 kJ (540 multiplied by 4.184). On an Australian or EU label it would be printed as 2,260 kJ with 540 kcal in smaller text; on a US label, 540 Calories. A banana is the lighter reference: 105 kcal or 439 kJ.