Ton to kW Converter

How to use the Ton to kW Converter

What this calculator does

This calculator converts cooling capacity between refrigeration tons and kilowatts. It uses the standard identity that one refrigeration ton equals 12,000 Btu per hour and approximately 3.5168525 kilowatts of thermal power. The result is a unit conversion, not an estimate of the electricity consumed by an air conditioner or chiller. Electrical input depends on equipment efficiency, operating conditions, part-load behavior, and auxiliary loads.

When to use it

Use the converter when an HVAC schedule lists capacity in tons but a specification, tender, or engineering worksheet requires kilowatts; when a metric equipment datasheet needs to be compared with a North American tonnage rating; when you want to cross-check a quoted Btu/h capacity; or when preparing a consistent capacity schedule for multiple cooling units. For actual equipment sizing, a conversion is only one step: ASHRAE explains why a proper building load calculation is preferable to a simple rule of thumb in its guidance on choosing the right heating and cooling system.

How to calculate

1. The calculator opens with a ready-to-use demonstration: 6 refrigeration tons and its equivalent 21.101115 kW. The matching Excel workbook is validated and available immediately.
2. To convert tons to kilowatts, replace the value in Refrigeration tons. The Power in kilowatts field and every result update live.
3. To convert in reverse, edit Power in kilowatts. The calculator divides by 3.5168525 and updates Refrigeration tons.
4. Read the primary result and the supporting values for Cooling capacity, Metric power, Equivalent heat rate, and Equivalent watts. Select Download Excel to export the current, unrounded model values.
5. Select Reset to clear the demonstration and all calculated data. Download Excel is then disabled until a complete valid value is entered again.

Input guide

Refrigeration tons is an editable, nonnegative decimal cooling-capacity value measured in tons of refrigeration. It is optional when the kilowatt field is being used as the source, but one of the two fields must contain a valid value. A realistic example is 6 tons. Raising this value increases every equivalent capacity proportionally. Use a decimal point, such as 7.5; commas are accepted only as standard thousands separators, such as 1,250.5. Do not enter a metric tonne of mass, a negative number, scientific notation, or a decimal comma such as 7,5. ASHRAE defines a ton of refrigeration as a rate of cooling, not a weight measurement.

Power in kilowatts is the reverse editable input, measured in kW of thermal cooling capacity. A realistic example is 21.101115 kW. Increasing it raises the equivalent tonnage, Btu/h, and watts in direct proportion. This field is not the compressor's electrical demand unless the coefficient of performance happens to equal one; in normal HVAC analysis, thermal capacity and electrical input must be kept separate.

Output guide

Primary result displays the unit opposite the field most recently edited. Cooling capacity is the canonical result in refrigeration tons, shown to three decimals. Metric power is the same thermal rate in kilowatts, also shown to three decimals. Equivalent heat rate converts the tonnage to Btu/h using exactly 12,000 Btu/h per ton. Equivalent watts multiplies kilowatts by 1,000. These outputs are exact identities subject only to display rounding; zero input produces zero equivalents, while a high value simply represents a larger cooling rate. The Current calculation line shows whether multiplication or division was used. ASHRAE's SI conversion guide lists 3.517 kW as the practical rounded conversion for one refrigeration ton.

Worked example

With the startup value of 6 refrigeration tons, multiply 6 by 3.5168525. The canonical result is 21.101115 kW, displayed as 21.101 kW. The same capacity equals 72,000 Btu/h because 6 × 12,000 = 72,000, and it equals 21,101.115 watts before the whole-watt display rounding. The first-open controls, result cards, formula line, and downloaded workbook all use these same values.