Short ton

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The short ton is a unit of weight equal to 2,000 pounds (907.18474 kg), that is most commonly used in the United States where it is known simply as the ton.[1]

United States[edit]

In the United States, a short ton is usually known simply as a "ton",[1] without distinguishing it from the tonne (1,000 kilograms or 2,204.62262 pounds), known there as the "metric ton", or the long ton (2,240 pounds or 1,016.0469088 kilograms), known there as the "Imperial ton". There are, however, some US applications where unspecified tons normally means long tons (for example, Navy ships)[2] or metric tons (world grain production figures).

Both the long and short ton are defined as 20 hundredweights, but a hundredweight is 100 pounds (45.359237 kg) in the U.S. system (short or net hundredweight) and 112 pounds (50.80234544 kg) in the imperial system (long or gross hundredweight).[1]

A short ton–force is 2,000 pounds-force (8,896.443230521 N).

United Kingdom[edit]

In the UK, short tons are rarely used. The word "ton" is taken to refer to a long ton, and metric tons are distinguished by the "tonne" spelling. Most Commonwealth countries followed British practice with the exception of Canada, which used short tons as well as long tons. Canada now predominantly uses metric tons (tonnes).

See also[edit]

  • Long ton, 2,240 lb (1,016.0469088 kg).
  • Ton
  • Tonne, also known as a metric ton (t), equal to 1,000 kg (2,204.6226218 lb) or 1 megagram.
  • Tonnage, volume measurement used in maritime shipping, originally based on 100 cubic feet (2.8316846592 m3).


  1. ^ a b c "NIST Handbook 44 Specifications: Handbook 44 – 2013 Appendix C – General Tables of Units of Measurement" (PDF). April 26, 2006. p. C-6. Retrieved October 13, 2008. 20 hundredweights = 1 ton 