The KCAL Sports Central crew shares stories as they interview some of the greatest sports & entertainment stars in LA! A new weekly podcast premieres every Friday. Calories and kcal are used interchangeably and refer to the same amount of energy, but kilojoules require conversion.

Understanding the Context

Usage may differ depending on where you live. Kcal and calories are units of measurement of energy in nutrition and exercise. The terms are used interchangeably in nutrition and do not need to be converted. Outside of chemistry, we ususally use 1 kcal unit.

Key Insights

1 kcal is considered as the same as 1 Calorie. At the same time, the one kilocalorie means the same as 1000 calories. What exactly is a kcal or kilocalorie? It’s simply another way to measure calories, with 1 kcal equal to 1,000 regular calories. A kilocalorie (kcal) is equal to 1,000 calories.

Final Thoughts

Notice the lowercase “c.” A kCal is also equal to one Calorie, capital “C.” What is kcal? What is a kcal unit? kcal definition kcal is the symbol of kilocalorie. One kilocalorie is equal to 1000 calories. Small & large calories Small calorie (cal) is the energy needed to increase 1 gram of water by 1°C at a pressure of 1 atmosphere. Calories are a unit of energy, but in diet and exercise, the term usually refers to kilocalories (kcal).

Learn the difference between calories, kcal, and kilojoules (kJ) and how to convert between them.