Torque - Units

Units

Torque has dimensions of force times distance. Official SI literature suggests using the unit newton metre (N·m) or the unit joule per radian. The unit newton metre is properly denoted N·m or N m. This avoids ambiguity with mN, millinewtons.

The SI unit for energy or work is the joule. It is dimensionally equivalent to a force of one newton acting over a distance of one metre, but it is not used for torque. Energy and torque are entirely different concepts, so the practice of using different unit names (i.e., reserving newton metres for torque and using only joules for energy) helps avoid mistakes and misunderstandings. The dimensional equivalence of these units, of course, is not simply a coincidence: A torque of 1 N·m applied through a full revolution will require an energy of exactly 2π joules. Mathematically,

where E is the energy, τ is magnitude of the torque, and θ is the angle moved (in radians). This equation motivates the alternate unit name joules per radian.

In Imperial units, "pound-force-feet" (lbf·ft), "foot-pounds-force", "inch-pounds-force", "ounce-force-inches" (oz·in) are used, and other non-SI units of torque includes "metre-kilograms-force". For all these units, the word "force" is often left out, for example abbreviating "pound-force-foot" to simply "pound-foot" (in this case, it would be implicit that the "pound" is pound-force and not pound-mass). This is an example of the confusion caused by the use of traditional units that may be avoided with SI units because of the careful distinction in SI between force (in newtons) and mass (in kilograms).

Sometimes one may see torque given units that do not dimensionally make sense. For example: gram centimetre. In these units, "gram" should be understood as the force given by the weight of 1 gram at the surface of the earth, i.e., 0.00980665 N. The surface of the earth is understood to have a standard acceleration of gravity (9.80665 m/s2).