What is short ton (US)?
A short ton is a unit of mass used primarily in the United States, equal to 2,000 pounds. It is used in industries such as mining, agriculture, and freight transportation.
Real-world uses
The short ton is the standard ton in US commerce and industry, used for coal, grain, and bulk commodity trading. HVAC cooling capacity was traditionally rated in tons (1 ton of refrigeration ≈ cooling of 1 short ton of ice per day).
History
The short ton of 2,000 pounds became standard in the United States as a simplified version of the older English long ton. It gained legal definition in US commerce during the 19th century and remains the default "ton" in American industry.
Common mistakes
Assuming "ton" means the same thing globally. In the US it means 2,000 lb (short ton), in the UK it traditionally meant 2,240 lb (long ton), and internationally it usually means 1,000 kg (metric tonne).
What is long ton (UK)?
A long ton is a unit of mass historically used in the United Kingdom, equal to 2,240 pounds. It is used in shipping, naval architecture, and some industrial contexts in the UK.
Real-world uses
The long ton was historically used in British shipping, coal mining, and iron/steel trade. Naval vessel displacement is sometimes still quoted in long tons. It occasionally appears in older British engineering specifications and historical trade records.
History
The long ton of 2,240 pounds derives from the traditional English system of 20 hundredweight (each 112 lb). It was the standard British ton until metrication in the 1970s largely replaced it with the metric tonne in commerce.
Common mistakes
Confusing the long ton (2,240 lb / 1,016 kg) with the short ton (2,000 lb / 907 kg) or the metric tonne (2,205 lb / 1,000 kg). This 12% difference can cause major commercial discrepancies.
When is this conversion used?
Converting short ton (US) to long ton (UK) is useful in the mass domain when comparing values across different measurement standards or applying formulas that require a specific unit.
Worked examples
1 short ton (US) = 0.89285714 long ton (UK)
1 long ton (UK) = 1,016.0469088 kilogram
How to convert short ton (US) to long ton (UK)
To convert short ton (US) to long ton (UK), multiply the value by 0.89285714.
To convert long ton (UK) back to short ton (US), multiply by 1.12.
Measurement standards
The kilogram is defined by fixing the Planck constant to exactly 6.62607015 × 10⁻³⁴ joule-seconds, as established at the 26th General Conference on Weights and Measures in 2018. This ended the last SI definition based on a physical artefact.
Did you know?
The International Prototype of the Kilogram, a platinum-iridium cylinder stored near Paris since 1889, was found to have drifted by about 50 micrograms relative to its copies over a century — roughly the mass of a fingerprint.
Quick reference: short ton (US) to long ton (UK)
| short ton (US) | long ton (UK) |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 0.08928571 |
| 0.5 | 0.44642857 |
| 1 | 0.89285714 |
| 2 | 1.78571429 |
| 5 | 4.46428571 |
| 10 | 8.92857143 |
| 25 | 22.32142857 |
| 50 | 44.64285714 |
| 100 | 89.28571429 |
| 250 | 223.21428571 |
| 500 | 446.42857143 |
| 1,000 | 892.85714286 |
Common values
| short ton (US) | long ton (UK) | |
|---|---|---|
| A paperclip | 0.00110231 short ton (US) | 0.00098421 long ton (UK) |
| A smartphone | 0.19290448 short ton (US) | 0.17223614 long ton (UK) |
| A bag of sugar | 0.00110231 short ton (US) | 0.00098421 long ton (UK) |
| Average adult human | 0.07716179 short ton (US) | 0.06889446 long ton (UK) |
| A small car | 1.32277357 short ton (US) | 1.18104783 long ton (UK) |