Fuel Injector Size Calculator

Calculate the fuel injector size needed for your target horsepower.

Injector Size Calculator
RESULT

Fuel injectors must flow enough fuel to support your target power without running out of headroom. This calculator sizes injectors in lb/hr and cc/min from your horsepower goal, cylinder count, fuel efficiency, and a safe duty cycle.

Quick answer: Injector size (lb/hr) = (HP × BSFC) ÷ (cylinders × max duty cycle). Multiply lb/hr by ~10.5 for cc/min.

Injector Size Formula

Formula
lb/hr = (HP × BSFC) ÷ (Cylinders × Duty Cycle)
BSFC ≈ 0.5 NA, 0.55–0.65 boosted. Keep duty cycle ≤ 85%.

BSFC (brake-specific fuel consumption) reflects how much fuel the engine burns per horsepower; naturally aspirated gasoline engines are around 0.5, forced-induction higher. Sizing for an 80–85% maximum duty cycle leaves safety headroom so injectors aren't maxed out.

How to Use This Calculator

  1. Enter target horsepower and cylinder count.
  2. Set BSFC (0.5 NA, higher for boost) and max duty cycle (≤85%).
  3. Read injector size in lb/hr and cc/min.

Worked Example

Worked Example
lb/hr = (500 × 0.5) ÷ (8 × 0.85)
= 250 ÷ 6.8 = 36.8 lb/hr ≈ 386 cc/min
calchorsepower.com Engineering Team
Automotive & mechanical calculation specialists

This calculator uses standard published formulas, verified against known input/output pairs.

✓ Formula verified

Frequently Asked Questions

Use lb/hr = (HP × BSFC) ÷ (cylinders × max duty cycle), then multiply lb/hr by about 10.5 to get cc/min per injector.

Brake-specific fuel consumption is fuel used per horsepower per hour. Use about 0.5 for naturally aspirated gasoline engines and 0.55–0.65 for forced induction.

Leaving headroom prevents injectors from running at 100% (static), which loses fuel control and risks a lean condition. 80–85% max is a safe target.

Multiply pounds per hour by roughly 10.5 (for gasoline) to get cubic centimetres per minute.

It's wise to leave some margin, but very oversized injectors can hurt idle and low-load fuel control, so don't go drastically larger than needed.