In one of our earlier calculators, we had seen the BTU to ton conversion. This calculator looks at the reverse calculation from tons to BTU.
In India, we are more conversant with the term ‘Ton’ as we use it liberally when researching which ACs to buy for our homes and offices.
So, we shall now see how to convert ‘tons’ into BTU. But, before going into the actual calculation part, let us understand the concept of BTU and Ton.
Why is the cooling capacity of ACs measured in tons?
We have to move back into the era where there were no ACs when people used ice blocks to cool their homes. Ice absorbs heat and hence cools the surrounding area when you place fans behind them. In the olden days, people used to place large ice blocks weighing one ton in front of fans to achieve cooling.
Related: AC Tonnage Calculator
Therefore, a ton refers to the amount of heat consumed to melt one ton of ice in 24 hours.
Studies showed that it took around 286,000 BTU (British Thermal Units) to melt one ton of ice in a day completely. Therefore, it translates to 11916.67 BTU/hr, roughly approximated to 12,000 BTU. Therefore, one ton in an Air Conditioner is equal to 12000 BTU/hr.
Ton to BTU Calculation
From the above discussion, you can note that 1 ton AC capacity equals 12,000 BTU.
Thus 1 ton (refrigeration/air conditioning) = 12000 BTU/hr
Simultaneously 1 BTU/hr = 8.33 x 10-5 tons.
This table should simplify things for you.
| Ton (Air conditioning capacity) | BTU/hour |
| 1 ton | 12000 BTU/hr |
| 2 tons | 24000 BTU/hr |
| 0.1 ton | 1200 BTU/hr |
| 0.01 ton | 120 BTU/hr |
| 5 tons | 60000 BTU/hr |
| 10 tons | 120000 BTU/hr |
| 100 tons | 1200000 BTU/hr |
| 0.0833 tons = 8.33 x 10-2 | 1000 BTU/hr |
| 0.00833 tons = 8.33 x 10-3 | 100 BTU/hr |
| 0.000833 tons = 8.33 x 10-4 | 10 BTU/hr |
| 0.0000833 tons = 8.33 x 10-5 | 1 BTU/hr |
Ton to BTU Calculator
Using our ‘Ton’ to ‘BTU’ calculator is easy. It is a one-step calculation where you enter the tonnage to get the BTU/hr calculation within no time.
For example, Enter 1 ton, and you get the answer 12000 BTU. Similarly, 5 tons equals 60000 BTU.
Here are some quick questions to refresh your memory?
- How much BTU equals 1 ton? Answer – 12000 BTU
- How much BTU equals 100 tons? Answer – 1200000 BTU
- How many tons equal 12000 BTU? Answer – 1 ton
- How many tons equal 1 BTU? Answer 1/12000 = 8.33 x 10-5
- How many tons equal 10000 BTU? Answer = 0.833 tons or 8.33 x 10-1