tonne (t)
1 tonne = 1,000 kilograms
What is tonne?
A tonne, also known as a metric ton, is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is used in industrial shipping, cargo measurement, and large-scale material production and trade.
Notes: Metric unit
Real-world uses
Tonnes (metric tons) are used globally for cargo shipping weights, industrial raw materials, agricultural harvest yields, and carbon emissions reporting. A standard shipping container might carry up to about 28 tonnes of cargo.
History
The tonne derives from the Old French "tonne" meaning a large cask. It was formalized in the metric system as exactly 1,000 kilograms. Though not an official SI unit, it is accepted for use with SI and is the global standard in trade.
Common mistakes
Confusing the metric tonne (1,000 kg) with the US short ton (907.18 kg) or the Imperial long ton (1,016.05 kg). Using "ton" ambiguously without specifying which system creates significant commercial errors.
When is this conversion used?
Body weight, grocery items, and luggage limits are commonly expressed in kilograms in most countries and pounds in the US and UK, making this one of the most frequently needed mass conversions.
How to convert tonne to kilogram
To convert tonne to kilogram, multiply the value by 1,000.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 1000.0
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.
| tonnes | kilograms |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 100 |
| 0.5 | 500 |
| 1 | 1,000 |
| 2 | 2,000 |
| 5 | 5,000 |
| 10 | 10,000 |
| 25 | 25,000 |
| 50 | 50,000 |
| 100 | 100,000 |
| 250 | 250,000 |
| 500 | 500,000 |
| 1,000 | 1,000,000 |
Common values
| tonnes | kilograms | |
|---|---|---|
| A paperclip | 0.000001 tonnes | 0.001 kilograms |
| A smartphone | 0.000175 tonnes | 0.175 kilograms |
| A bag of sugar | 0.001 tonnes | 1 kilogram |
| Average adult human | 0.07 tonnes | 70 kilograms |
| A small car | 1.2 tonnes | 1,200 kilograms |
Full tonne conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| kilogram | 1 t = 1,000 kg | × 1,000 |
| gram | 1 t = 1,000,000 g | × 1,000,000 |
| pound | 1 t = 2,204.62262185 lb | × 2,204.62262185 |
| ounce | 1 t = 35,273.96194958 oz | × 35,273.96194958 |
| milligram | 1 t = 1.000000e+09 mg | × 1.000000e+09 |
| microgram | 1 t = 1.000000e+12 µg | × 1.000000e+12 |
| stone | 1 t = 157.47304442 st | × 157.47304442 |
| short ton (US) | 1 t = 1.10231131 short ton | × 1.10231131 |
| long ton (UK) | 1 t = 0.98420653 long ton | × 0.98420653 |