A US ton, also called a short ton, is 2,000 pounds. Two other tons exist: the long ton of 2,240 pounds and the metric ton (tonne) of 1,000 kilograms, which is 2,204.62 pounds. To convert pounds to US tons, divide by 2,000; 15,000 lb is 7.5 short tons, and 4,000 lb is exactly 2 tons.
How many pounds are in a ton?
NIST's conversion table (SP 811, Appendix B.8) lists the short ton as 2,000 lb and the long ton as 2,240 lb. The metric ton, written t and called a tonne outside the US, is exactly 1,000 kg. Using the pound as 0.45359237 kg:
| Ton | Pounds | Kilograms |
|---|---|---|
| Short ton (US) | 2,000 | 907.18 |
| Long ton (UK) | 2,240 | 1,016.05 |
| Metric ton (tonne) | 2,204.62 | 1,000 |
A long ton is 12% heavier than a short ton (2,240 ÷ 2,000 = 1.12), and a metric ton is about 10.2% heavier (2,204.62 ÷ 2,000 = 1.1023).
Formulas
US tons = pounds ÷ 2,000
pounds = US tons × 2,000
metric tons = pounds × 0.00045359237
pounds = metric tons × 2,204.62
long tons = pounds ÷ 2,240
Converters: tons to pounds, pounds to tons and kg to lbs.
Tons to pounds chart
| Tons | US pounds | Metric tons in pounds |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 | 500 | 551.2 |
| 1/2 | 1,000 | 1,102.3 |
| 1 | 2,000 | 2,204.6 |
| 1.5 | 3,000 | 3,306.9 |
| 2 | 4,000 | 4,409.2 |
| 5 | 10,000 | 11,023.1 |
| 10 | 20,000 | 22,046.2 |
Pounds to tons chart
| Pounds | Short tons | Metric tons |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | 0.25 | 0.227 |
| 1,000 | 0.5 | 0.454 |
| 4,000 | 2 | 1.814 |
| 6,000 | 3 | 2.722 |
| 15,000 | 7.5 | 6.804 |
Worked examples
Example 1: a pickup truck payload
A payload rating of 1,500 lb is 1,500 ÷ 2,000 = 0.75 ton in the US sense. The same load is 680.4 kg (1,500 × 0.45359237).
Example 2: a delivery of gravel
A load of 7,000 lb is 7,000 ÷ 2,000 = 3.5 US tons. If the supplier meant metric tons, the same weight is 3.18 t, so a quote per ton needs the type.
Example 3: a shipping weight in metric tons
A container carrying 24 metric tons weighs 24 × 2,204.62 = 52,911 lb, which is 26.46 short tons.
Example 4: a long ton
A weight of 6,720 lb is 6,720 ÷ 2,240 = 3 long tons, or 3.36 short tons (6,720 ÷ 2,000), or 3.05 metric tons.
Example 5: ounces
One short ton holds 2,000 × 16 = 32,000 oz (see how many ounces in a pound).
Which ton is meant?
- US contexts (trucks, scrap, coal, gravel, freight quotes) mean the short ton, 2,000 lb.
- Metric contexts mean 1,000 kg. NIST notes that the metric ton is called a "tonne" outside the US, and using that word avoids confusion.
- The long ton is mostly historical and appears in older UK usage.
Quick ways to estimate
- Pounds to US tons: halve the number and drop three zeros (15,000 lb: 7,500 → 7.5 tons).
- Metric tons to pounds: multiply by 2,200 (5 t ≈ 11,000 lb, exact 11,023).
- Check: a metric ton is always about 10% more than a US ton.
For more weight conversions, see how many pounds in a kilogram, how many grams in a pound and the metric vs imperial guide.