Enter the total number of CC’s into the calculator to convert into an equivalent horsepower.

CC to HP Formula

The following equation can be used to convert a CC to HP of a typical combustion ending. 

HP = CC/15
  • Where HP is the horsepower
  • CC is the cubic centimeters

To calculate horsepower from CCs, divide the CCs by 15.

CC Definition

A CC is defined as the size of the volume of an engine displacement in cubic centimeters. The engine displacement is the usable volume an engine has for combustion.

CC to HP Example

How to convert CC to HP?

Example #1:

First, determine the total engine size in cubic centimeters. For this example, the engine size is found to be 750CC’s.

Next, use the formula above to convert this value to horsepower. HP = CC/ 15 = 750 / 15 = 50 horsepower.

Example #2:

For this example, we will convert HP to CC. The horsepower in the problem is provided as 40 HP.

Next, we rearrange the equation to solve for CC. CC = HP*15 = 40*15 = 600 CC.

7 Things to Know about CC and HP

1. Do electric cars have engine CC?

Electric cars do not have CC or an equivalent metric. Since CC’s are a measure of the displacement of the combustion volume of a normal combustion engine car, electric cars would not have a CC.

However, electric motors do have a power output and so do normal combustion engines. Therefore, if you convert the CC of an engine into a power output metric, then you could compare it to an electric motor.

2. Is a higher CC better?

The higher the CC (engine displacement), the more power output the engine can produce. So, if the goal is to have more power output, then a higher CC is better.

If instead, the goal is to save on fuel economy and gas usage, then having larger engine displacement is not ideal.

3. What is the CC of a formula 1 car?

Formula 1 cars are limited to an engine capacity of 1.6 liters which is equal to 1600 cubic centimeters.

4. Can you increase engine horsepower?

Increasing an engine horsepower, without changing the design of the engine itself, can be done through small improvements like changing the fuel type or exhaust outlet.

5. How is engine horsepower measured?

Horsepower is measure using a tool called a dynamometer. The dynamometer will measure both the torque output and the RPM (revolutions per minute) of the engine and then it calculates the horsepower from those values.

The formula for calculating the horsepower from these values is HP = t*RPM / 5252.

6. Are CC and HP the same?

Horsepower is a measure of power output, most often associated with engines or rotating components. CC’s on the other hand, which is short for cubic centimeters, is simply a term to describe the displacement or useable combustion volume of an engine.

While CC and HP are related, they are not the same.

7. Do engines lose horsepower over time?

Over time engines will lose horsepower as the engine’s parts and material wear. This wear causes inefficiencies throughout the engine that leads to a loss in horsepower.