CC to HP Calculator: Quickly Convert Cubic Centimeters & Horsepower | Vehicle Answers (2024)

Engines are often described using common terms like cubic centimeter “cc” and horsepower “hp”.

Although these two terms are not a direct comparison, they are related and give you an idea of the engine’s size and capacity.

Use the calculator below to convert an engine’s cc to hp, or hp to cc!

Step 1: Pick What To Convert

Step 2: Enter The CCs

How Is CC Converted to HP?

As previously mentioned, cc and hp are not perfectly equivalent measurements. Let’s take a look at what exactly each of these is before jumping into how to convert between them.

A cc, or cubic centimeter, is a measurement of the engine’s size.

More specifically, a measurement of the cylinder volume swept by all of the pistons. This is why it’s also referred to as engine displacement.

Because 1,000 cc is equal to 1 liter, you may also see engine sizes described in liters as well. For example, a 5.7 liter engine is equal to 5,700 cc’s.

By comparison, horsepower is a measurement of the engine’s power output.

As the name entails, it was created as a unit of measurement to compare the work output of horses to mechanical engines. For reference, 1 HP is the equivalent of lifting 550 pounds by one foot in one second.

See Also

cc to hp Conversion Calculator - GEGCalculatorsCC To HP Calculator | Approximation, Range & Average

Now that’s pretty powerful!

Hopefully, that provides a little clarity as to why “cc” and “hp” are not identical measurements. CC is a measurement of the engine’s capacity whereas HP is a unit of power.

This means that while they are related, they are not the same.

An identical comparison would require looking at something like a cars weight. Regardless of whether it’s weight is described in pounds or kilograms, these are both measurements of weight and thus direct comparisons.

While an engine’s power output (hp) can be manipulated through modifications, its maximum output will inevitably be limited by its size (cc). This is why it’s possible to do a rough approximation between the two.

The most common conversion between an engine’s displacement and power entails dividing the engine’s CC by 15 to obtain its rough hp.

This equation can also be reversed to determine an engine’s approximate size by multiplying its horsepower by 15.

Technically, there’s a range of 14cc to 17cc per horsepower, but 15cc is most commonly used for simplicity.

Because an engine’s horsepower output can be manipulated through other factors, this is not a perfect conversion. But it’s certainly close enough to give you a good idea!

Ex. 1 – Convert CC to HP

Let’s use an example where we’ve got a 1,500cc engine.

Dividing 1,500 by 15, we would calculate it to have 100 hp.

Ex. 2 – Convert HP to CC

Let’s use an example where we’ve got a 75 HP engine. Multiplying 75 HP by 15, we would calculate it to have 1,125cc.

For simple numbers, let’s look at converting 1 HP to cc. 1 HP * 15 cc per HP equals 15 cc!

Looking at an engine that’s larger, a 10 HP would equal 150 cc’s!

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