Convert UK Ton to US Ton (ton (UK) → ton (US))

Converting UK tons to US tons is straightforward: multiply by the conversion factor. Follow these three steps to do it by hand or in your head.

1. 1
   Take your value in UK tons

   Start with the number of UK tons (ton (UK)) you want to convert.
2. 2
   Multiply by 1.12

   The conversion factor from ton (UK) to ton (US) is 1.12. Multiply your value by this number.
3. 3
   Read the result in US tons

   The result is your value in US tons (ton (US)).

Multiply the value in UK tons by 1.12. For the reverse direction, multiply by 0.892857.

• ✓1 UK long ton = 2240 lb = 1016 kg.
• ✓Modern British commerce uses the metric ton (tonne); long tons are mostly historical.
• ✓Always check the era of a document before assuming "ton" means short, long or metric.

• ✗Assuming a pre-1980 UK contract uses metric tons — it probably uses long tons.
• ✗Mixing long tons and short tons across the Atlantic — the 12% gap matters.
• ✗Using 1000 kg as a shortcut for a British historical "ton".

What is the UK Ton?

The UK long ton equals exactly 2,240 pounds or 1,016.0469088 kilograms, and was historically the standard weight unit in the British Empire and remains in use in shipping, mining, and engineering throughout the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries. The long ton is closer in size to the metric ton (only 1.6% lighter), which is why it has resisted complete replacement. Shipping displacement, especially of older and military vessels, is often quoted in long tons (the British Royal Navy historically used long tons for ship tonnage). It relates to the hundredweight (20 cwt = 1 long ton), the pound (2,240 lb = 1 long ton), and the metric ton (1 long ton ≈ 1.016 t). The long ton's name reflects its larger size compared to the US short ton (2,000 lb).

• Older UK shipping and commodity contracts
• British naval displacement tonnage (ships)
• Historical coal and steel production data

What is the US Ton?

The US short ton equals exactly 2,000 pounds or 907.18474 kilograms, and is the standard weight unit for American freight, mining, construction, and waste management. Its name distinguishes it from the longer UK long ton (2,240 lb). The short ton emerged in the United States during the 19th century to simplify calculations: 2,000 is a rounder number than 2,240. Today it dominates American industry — coal mining quotes production in short tons, dump trucks are rated by short-ton capacity, and the EPA tracks emissions in short tons. Imperial-to-metric confusion can be costly: in 1999, the Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft was lost partly due to a units mismatch involving pounds and newtons. The short ton relates to the pound (2,000 lb = 1 ton), the metric ton (1 short ton ≈ 0.907 t), and the long ton (1 long ton = 1.12 short tons).

• US freight and trucking weight limits
• US coal and mining production
• US shipbuilding and heavy industry