Calorie per Gram Degree Celsius (cal/(g·°C))
Calories per gram degree Celsius come from the definition of the calorie: water has a specific heat of 1 cal/(g·°C). Using the International Table calorie this is 4.1868 kJ/(kg·K).
Symbol: cal/(g·°C) (ASCII: cal/(g C))
Quantity: specific heat capacity
SI relation: 1 cal/(g·°C) = 4186.8 J/(kg·K) (exact)
Derivation: 1 cal_IT/(g·°C) = 4.1868 J/(g·K) = 4186.8 J/(kg·K).
Exact: yes, by definition
Reference conditions. International Table calorie (4.1868 J).
Same quantity as kilocalorie per kilogram degree Celsius (kcal/(kg·°C)) , BTU per pound degree Fahrenheit (BTU/(lb·°F)) : the factor between them is exactly 1.
Typical uses
- Older chemistry and food-science texts
- Quick water-based heat estimates
Convert calories per gram degree Celsius to other units
| Conversion | 1 cal/(g·°C) equals | Reverse |
|---|---|---|
| calorie per gram degree Celsius to joule per kilogram kelvin | 4186.8 J/(kg·K) | joule per kilogram kelvin to calorie per gram degree Celsius |
| calorie per gram degree Celsius to kilojoule per kilogram kelvin | 4.1868 kJ/(kg·K) | kilojoule per kilogram kelvin to calorie per gram degree Celsius |
| calorie per gram degree Celsius to BTU per pound degree Fahrenheit | 1 BTU/(lb·°F) | BTU per pound degree Fahrenheit to calorie per gram degree Celsius |
| calorie per gram degree Celsius to joule per gram kelvin | 4.1868 J/(g·K) | joule per gram kelvin to calorie per gram degree Celsius |
| calorie per gram degree Celsius to kilocalorie per kilogram degree Celsius | 1 kcal/(kg·°C) | kilocalorie per kilogram degree Celsius to calorie per gram degree Celsius |
Open the Specific Heat Converter (kJ/kg·K, BTU/lb·°F) to convert any value between all units.
Sources
- Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SI), NIST Special Publication 811, 2008 Edition, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Appendix B.8, "calorie_IT per gram degree Celsius".
Last reviewed: . Factors are stored exactly and computed with 50-digit decimal arithmetic. See how we verify conversion factors.
Cite this page
APA
Scientific Converters. (2026, October 15). Calorie per Gram Degree Celsius (cal/(g·°C)). Retrieved October 29, 2026, from https://scientificconverters.com/units/calorie-per-gram-celsius/
IEEE
Scientific Converters, "Calorie per Gram Degree Celsius (cal/(g·°C))," scientificconverters.com. Accessed: Oct. 29, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://scientificconverters.com/units/calorie-per-gram-celsius/