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!
Result:
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.
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!
Frequent Engine Conversions
How many cc is a 3.0 hp engine?
A 3.0 horsepower engine is approximately 45 cc. This is not a perfect conversion because cc’s are a measurement of an engine’s displacement whereas horsepower is for its power.
How many horsepower is a 1500 cc engine?
A 1500 cc engine is approximately 15 horsepower. This is not a perfect conversion because cc’s are a measurement of an engine’s displacement whereas horsepower is for its power.
How many cc is a 16 hp engine?
A 16 horsepower engine is approximately 240 cc. This is not a perfect conversion because cc’s are a measurement of an engine’s displacement whereas horsepower is for its power.
How many hp is 200 cc?
A 200 cc engine is approximately 13 horsepower. This is not a perfect conversion because cc’s are a measurement of an engine’s displacement whereas horsepower is for its power.
How many hp is 439 cc?
A 439 cc engine is approximately 29 horsepower. This is not a perfect conversion because cc’s are a measurement of an engine’s displacement whereas horsepower is for its power.
How many cc is a 5-horsepower engine?
A 5-horsepower engine is approximately 75 cc. This is not a perfect conversion because cc’s are a measurement of an engine’s displacement whereas horsepower is for its power.
How many HP is 547cc?
A 547 cc engine is approximately 36 horsepower. This is not a perfect conversion because cc’s are a measurement of an engine’s displacement whereas horsepower is for its power.
How many hp is 160 cc?
A 160 cc engine is approximately 11 horsepower. This is not a perfect conversion because cc’s are a measurement of an engine’s displacement whereas horsepower is for its power.
How many hp is 170 cc?
A 170 cc engine is approximately 11 horsepower. This is not a perfect conversion because cc’s are a measurement of an engine’s displacement whereas horsepower is for its power.
How many hp is 1500 cc?
A 1500 cc engine is approximately 100 horsepower. This is not a perfect conversion because cc’s are a measurement of an engine’s displacement whereas horsepower is for its power.
How many hp is 1000 cc?
A 1000 cc engine is approximately 67 horsepower. This is not a perfect conversion because cc’s are a measurement of an engine’s displacement whereas horsepower is for its power.
How many cc is 6.5 hp?
A 6.5 horsepower engine is approximately 98 cc. This is not a perfect conversion because cc’s are a measurement of an engine’s displacement whereas horsepower is for its power.