BTU to Ton Converter
Convert cooling capacity between BTU per hour, tons of refrigeration, kilowatts and kcal/h, with the electrical draw at a given COP.
About this tool
BTU to Ton Converter
Convert cooling capacity between BTU per hour, tons of refrigeration, kilowatts and kcal/h, with the electrical draw at a given COP.
A ton of refrigeration is defined as 12,000 BTU per hour — the rate needed to melt one short ton of ice in 24 hours — which this converter uses to move a cooling capacity between tons, BTU/h, watts, kilowatts and kcal/h. Because the International Table BTU is exactly 1,055.05585262 J, one ton works out to 3,516.85 W or 3,024 kcal/h. It also divides capacity by COP to show the electrical input the same machine would draw, since capacity is heat moved and not power consumed.
How to use BTU to Ton Converter
- 1
Open BTU to Ton Converter on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
- 2
Enter the Cooling capacity and its Unit - Tons of refrigeration (TR), BTU per hour, Thousand BTU/h (MBH), Watts, Kilowatts or Kilocalories per hour - or tap a size chip such as 1.5 TR.
- 3
Set the 'COP (cooling watts per watt of input)' anywhere from 1 to 10.
- 4
Read the tons headline with the closest standard split AC size, every unit's equivalent, and the Electrical input in watts at that COP, then press Copy result.
Why use BTU to Ton Converter
Exact definitions
12,000 BTU/h per ton and 1,055.05585262 J per BTU, so the watts figure is precise.
kcal/h included
The unit still printed on many Indian and Gulf datasheets, converted alongside the rest.
Capacity versus consumption
Separates cooling output from electrical input using COP, and shows the matching EER.
Common use cases
- Read an imported air conditioner rated 18,000 BTU/h and confirm it is the 1.5 ton size sold locally.
- Convert a chiller schedule written in kW of cooling into the tons the vendor quotes.
- Estimate the electrical load a 3 ton system adds to a panel before sizing the breaker and cable.
Frequently asked questions
How many BTU is 1 ton of AC?
12,000 BTU per hour. That is 3,516.85 watts of cooling or 3,024 kcal/h. A 1.5 ton split is therefore rated 18,000 BTU/h and a 2 ton unit 24,000 BTU/h.
Is a 1.5 ton AC 1.5 kW?
No — those are different quantities. A 1.5 ton unit removes about 5.28 kW of heat, but it draws far less electricity, typically 1.3 to 1.6 kW at a COP around 3.3 to 4. Capacity is heat moved; the electricity bill follows the input power.
What is the difference between EER and COP?
Both compare cooling output with electrical input; they only differ in units. COP is watts of cooling per watt of input, EER is BTU/h of cooling per watt of input, so EER equals COP multiplied by 3.4121. A COP of 3.5 is an EER of 11.94.
Why is a cooling ton called a ton?
It dates from ice-based cooling. Melting one short ton (2,000 lb) of ice absorbs 2,000 x 144 = 288,000 BTU, and spreading that over 24 hours gives 12,000 BTU per hour. The name stuck even though modern systems use no ice.
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