Units of mass
In the U.S. mining industry, 'T' is used to distinguish the traditional ton from the metric ton, but 'T' is also the SI symbol for the tesla. The symbol 't', traditionally used for the long or short ton, is now reserved for the metric tonne.

Common abbreviations
There are also the units of force based on each of these three mass units, but none are acceptable for use with SI. The tonne force, like the kilogram force, is no exception. Only the tonne as a unit of mass is acceptable for use with SI.

1 short ton force = 2000 pounds-force (lbf) = 8.896443230521 kilonewtons (kN)
1 long ton force = 2240 lbf = 9.96401641818352 kN
1 tonne force = 1000 kgf = 9.80665 kN Units of force
Also see tonnage.
The freight ton or measurement ton is a unit of volume used for describing ship capacities (tonnage) or cargo. One measurement ton is equal to:
The measurement ton is abbreviated as M/T, MT, or MTON, which can cause it to be confused with the metric ton.
The register ton is also a unit of volume used for the cargo capacity of a ship, defined as 100 cubic feet (roughly 2.83 cubic metres). It is often abbreviated GRT for gross registered ton. It is known as a tonneau de mer in Belgium, but, in France, a tonneau de mer is 1.44 cubic metres or about 1.88 cubic yards.
The Panama Canal net ton, a unit of volume used for billing for ships going through the Panama Canal, is the same as the register ton. The fee for example in the 1990s was roughly a couple USD for each unit.
The water ton was formerly used in Great Britain and equal to 224 imperial gallons (the volume occupied by a mass of one long ton under the conditions which define the imperial gallon).
See 1 E-1 m³ and orders of magnitude (volume) for a comparison with other volumes.
(Note that volume tons are units of convenience used in shipping and are not useful in science except that they are exactly defined.)

40 cubic feet
1.481(481) cubic yards (the "481" digit sequence repeats infinitely)
1,132.67386368 litres
1.13267386368 cubic metres Units of volume

Units of energy and power

Main article: TNT equivalent ton of coal equivalent

A ton of oil equivalent or tonne of oil equivalent (TOE), a conventional value of 10 Gcal (IT) = 41.868 GJ ≈ 10.0067 ton of TNT. See also GTOE. ton of oil equivalent
The unit ton is used in refrigeration and air-conditioning to measure heat absorption. Prior to the introduction of mechanical refrigeration, cooling was accomplished by delivering ice. Installing one ton of refrigeration replaced the daily delivery of one ton of ice.


In the United States, a standard ton of refrigeration = 12000 BTU/h = 200 BTU/min ≈ 3517 W. It is approximately the power required to cool 1 short ton of water by 1 °F every 10 minutes; or the power required to melt one short ton (2000 lb) of ice at 0 °C in 24 hours.
A ton is also a unit of energy equal to that power for a period of a day, or 24 h × 12 000 BTU/h = 288 000 BTU ≈ 303.9 megajoule.
A less common usage is the power required to cool 1 long ton of water by 1 °F every 10 minutes = 13 440 BTU/h ≈ 3 939 W. Refrigeration ton
When the light duty trucks were first produced, they were rated by their payload capacity in tons (e.g. 1/2-, 3/4-, & 1-ton). The Ford F-150, Chevy/GMC 1500, & Dodge 1500 are a 1/2-ton. The Ford F-250, Chevy/GMC 2500, & Dodge 2500 are a 3/4-ton. The Ford F-350, Chevy/GMC 3500, & Dodge 3500 are a 1-ton. But throughout the years, the payload capacities have increased while the ton title has stayed the same. The current ton rating is nothing more than just a truck name.

Miscellaneous tons

Conversion of units
Medieval weights and measures
Ancient weights and measures
English unit
Imperial unit
U.S. customary unit