Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Ton is any of several units of measure of mass, volume or force. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. As a unit of mass, ton can mean: the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds (1,016.0 kilograms) the tonne, also called the metric ton, which is 1,000 kilograms (about 2,204.6 pounds) or 1 megagram.
The short ton (abbreviation tn [1]) is a measurement unit equal to 2,000 pounds (907.18 kg). It is commonly used in the United States, where it is known simply as a ton; [1] however, the term is ambiguous, the single word "ton" being variously used for short, long, and metric tons.
The long ton, [1] also known as the imperial ton or displacement ton, [1] [2] is a measurement unit equal to 2,240 pounds (1,016.0 kg). It is the name for the unit called the "ton" in the avoirdupois system of weights or Imperial system of measurements. It was standardised in the 13th century.
The long or imperial hundredweight of 8 stone or 112 pounds (50.80 kg) is defined in the British imperial system. [2] Under both conventions, there are 20 hundredweight in a ton, producing a "short ton" of 2,000 pounds (907.2 kg) and a "long ton" of 2,240 pounds (1,016 kg).
The avoirdupois units of mass and weight differ for units larger than a pound (lb). The British imperial system uses a stone of 14 lb, a long hundredweight of 112 lb and a long ton of 2,240 lb. The stone is not a measurement of weight used in the US.
The modern statutory definition of Imperial units, the Weights and Measures Act 1985 as amended by The Units of Measurement Regulations 1994, defines the quarter as a unit of mass equal to 28 pounds. [6] In measures of weight and mass at the time of Magna Carta, the quarter was 1 ⁄ 4 ton or (originally 500 pounds).
The metric ton is the name used for the tonne (1000 kg, 2 204.622 62 lb), which is about 1.6% less than the long ton. The US customary system also includes the kip, equivalent to 1,000 pounds of force, which is also occasionally used as a unit of weight of 1,000 pounds (usually in engineering contexts).
Converting cubic tons (i.e., volumes) to measures of weight presents difficulties because organic materials such as timber vary in density. Approximate volume conversions, based on a timber cubic ton of 40 cubic feet: 1 ton (40 cubic feet) = 1.133 cubic metres; 1 cubic metre = 0.883 cubic tons (35.32 cubic feet)