Are Kcals and Calories the Same Thing?

Checking calories in food
The calorie content is often given in kcals, which is short for kilocalories, and also in kJ, which is short for kilojoules. A kilocalorie is another word for what's commonly called a calorie, so 1,000 calories will be written as 1,000kcals. Kilojoules are the metric measurement of calories.

Is KCAL different from Cal?

Instead, the terms calories — capitalized or not — and kcal are used interchangeably and refer to the same amount of energy in relation to food or energy burned with exercise. Therefore, you don't need to convert them, as 1 kilocalorie equals 1 calorie in nutrition. Calories may also be expressed as kilojoules (kJ).

Why is kcal not Cal?

The "calorie" we refer to in food is actually kilocalorie. One (1) kilocalorie is the same as one (1) Calorie (uppercase C). A kilocalorie is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree Celsius.

Marcus Vance

Marcus Vance

Cybersecurity & Digital Privacy Researcher

Marcus Vance is a cybersecurity auditor and technology writer dedicated to educating the public about online safety, data privacy regulations, enterprise security, and emerging cyber threats.