When you need this conversion
Freight and shipping quotes, construction materials (gravel, concrete, steel), vehicle payloads, emissions reporting and commodity prices. The word “ton” can mean any of three sizes, and the difference is about 10%.
The three tons
- US (short) ton: 2,000 lb = 907.18474 kg
- UK (long) ton: 2,240 lb = 1,016.0469088 kg
- Metric ton (tonne): 1,000 kg = 2,204.62 lb
Carbon emissions, international trade and most science use tonnes. US freight, trucking and building supply yards usually quote short tons.
Quick reference
- 1 US ton = 0.907185 t
- 10 US tons = 9.07185 t
- 25 US tons = 22.6796 t
- 1 UK ton = 1.01605 t
Common mistakes
Assuming “ton” means the same thing everywhere. On a 40-ton load, the difference between short tons and tonnes is 3.7 tonnes.
Confusing mass tons with refrigeration tons. An air conditioner’s “ton” is a unit of cooling power (12,000 BTU/h), not weight. See BTU/h to kW.
For kilograms and pounds, see kg to pounds.