Ton vs. Kiloton — What's the Difference?

The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years.

A unit of weight or capacity equal to 1,000 metric tons.

A unit of weight equal to 2,000 pounds (0.907 metric ton or 907.18 kilograms). Also called net ton, short ton.

An explosive energy equivalent to that of 1,000 metric tons of TNT.

A unit of weight equal to 2,240 pounds (1.016 metric tons or 1,016.05 kilograms). Also called long ton.

A measure of the strength of an explosion or a bomb based on how many thousand tons of TNT would be needed to produce the same energy.

A metric ton. See Table at measurement.

One thousand tons.

A unit of capacity for cargo in maritime shipping, normally estimated at 40 cubic feet.

One thousand tons

A unit of internal capacity of a ship equal to 100 cubic feet.

A measure of explosive power (of an atomic weapon) equal to that of 1000 tons of TNT

A unit for measuring the displacement of ships, equal to 35 cubic feet, and supposed to equal the volume taken by a long ton of seawater.

A large extent, amount, or number

Used adverbially with a or in the plural to mean "to a great degree or extent" or "frequently"

A unit of weight (mass) equal to 2240 pounds (a long ton) or 2000 pounds (a short ton) or 1000 kilograms (a metric ton).

A unit of volume; register ton.

In refrigeration and air conditioning, a unit of thermal power defined as 12,000 BTU/h (about 3.514 kW or 3024 kcal/h), originally the rate of cooling provided by uniform isothermal melting of one short ton of ice per day at 32 °F (0 °C).

A large amount.

(slang) A speed of 100 mph.

One hundred pounds sterling.

(cricket) One hundred runs.

One hundred points scored.

Fashion, the current style, the vogue.

Fashionable society; those in style.

The common tunny, or horse mackerel.

The prevailing fashion or mode; vogue; as, things of ton.

A measure of weight or quantity.

The weight of twenty hundredweight.

Forty cubic feet of space, being the unit of measurement of the burden, or carrying capacity, of a vessel; as a vessel of 300 tons burden.

A certain weight or quantity of merchandise, with reference to transportation as freight; as, six hundred weight of ship bread in casks, seven hundred weight in bags, eight hundred weight in bulk; ten bushels of potatoes; eight sacks, or ten barrels, of flour; forty cubic feet of rough, or fifty cubic feet of hewn, timber, etc.

A United States unit of weight equivalent to 2000 pounds

A British unit of weight equivalent to 2240 pounds