is kcal the same as cal?

26 comments

1. First result on google for ‘kcal to calories’.

2. k kilo -> 1000

3. The k just means kilo or thousand
   So 1kcal is 1000cal or 4,2kJ

4. Its the same

5. US for some reason uses cal while the rest of the world uses Kj / kcal

   just consider kcal to be the same as cal in US even though it makes little to no sense.

6. Per below average level of English and blotched attempt at writing it seems that you lack any education than probably few classes of elementary school. So go back to it! They should teach you so that you wouldn’t ask stupid questions like this in beyond broken English.

7. Cal is really low amount of energy, and basicly negligible, so we use kcal (kilo calorie) to measure energetic value of food primarily. In general population, the therm calorie is often missused, when talking about food energetic value. I suppose it’s just easier then to say kilo calories every time. So, yeah.

8. Technically it isn’t, but the US sometimes seems to use cal instead of kcal. The “cal” that you see on food is actually kcal, typically. Otherwise, 1000cal=1kcal.

9. kcal = calories

10. k (kilo) =10^3

    Read Metric (SI) prefixes for more info…

11. Based on SI system.
    kcal = kilo calories
    kilo = 10³ = 1000

12. No it’s 1000 cal. Metric system dude, come on.

13. as people already said, kilo is thousand in science

    HOWEVER kilo in colloquial czech means a hundred when talking about money

14. 1 kcal = 1000 cal. So when people tell you their food had 300 calories, they are actually wrong by 1000 times (unless they are fasting).

    I think calling kilocalories “calories” is just a matter of simplicity. I know it sounds better but in reality it is as inaccurate as calling kilometres metres.

15. Nope it’s the same as meter and kilometer (1kcal=1000cal), k is for kilo

16. I guess it’s time to learn metric system…

17. Same as g and kg, a unit a thousand times bigger.

18. AFAIK, in the US they use Cal (must be with capital ‘C’) as the equivalent of kcal.
    EU: kcal = 1000 cal
    US: Cal = 1000 cal

    Edit: so yeah, considering your background, kcal is the Cal that you are used to.

19. Americký bratr má ban na googlu a je tedy nutné ptát se na redditu

20. 1 kcal is 1000 cal

    However in the US it is not used correctly, you guys write “cal” on products, but you mean kcal

    So in conclusiom it is not technically the same, but kcal on our packings means the same as cal on US’ products

21. no because kg isn’t same as g

22. *kcal* is to *cal* as *kg* is to *g* or *km* to *m*, a 1000 bigger.

    1kcal = 1000cal

23. By definition 1 kcal equals 1000 cals.

24. American Cal = Czech Kcal

25. Yes. Technically when we refer to a “calorie” in English we actually mean a kcal. Same thing.

26. One is calorie and obe is kilocalorie same as gram and kilogram