# Hundredweights (UK) to Metric Tons (cwt to t)

Source: https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/weight/long-hundredweights-to-metric-tons/

**1 cwt = 0.05080234544 t**

One long hundredweight equals approximately 0.05080 metric tons (tonnes). The long hundredweight at 112 pounds is the British Imperial bulk unit, while the metric ton at exactly 1,000 kilograms is the international standard for industrial-scale weights. It takes roughly 19.68 long hundredweights to make one metric ton.

## Formula

Apply the conversion factor

## Conversion Table

| Hundredweights (UK) (cwt) | Metric Tons (t) |
|---|---|
| 0.1 cwt | 0.005080234544 t |
| 0.25 cwt | 0.01270058636 t |
| 0.5 cwt | 0.02540117272 t |
| 1 cwt | 0.05080234544 t |
| 2 cwt | 0.10160469088 t |
| 5 cwt | 0.2540117272 t |
| 10 cwt | 0.5080234544 t |
| 20 cwt | 1.0160469088 t |
| 50 cwt | 2.540117272 t |
| 100 cwt | 5.080234544 t |
| 200 cwt | 10.160469088 t |
| 500 cwt | 25.40117272 t |

## Units

### Hundredweight (UK) (cwt)

A UK hundredweight (long hundredweight) is exactly 112 pounds or 50.80234544 kilograms. Used in British agriculture and traditional commerce.

### Metric Ton (t)

A metric unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. Used for measuring heavy loads, cargo, and industrial quantities.

## Background

This conversion is essential for international commodity trading. When British farmers sell grain priced per hundredweight to European buyers who price per metric ton, this conversion determines the deal's economics. Logistics companies moving goods between Imperial and metric markets use it daily. The close but not exact relationship between 20 hundredweights per long ton and 1 metric ton causes frequent confusion in cross-border trade.

## Good to Know

The tension between hundredweights and metric tons came to a head when Britain joined the European Economic Community in 1973. British farmers accustomed to pricing per hundredweight had to learn metric-ton pricing almost overnight. The Common Agricultural Policy quoted everything in metric tons, and British agriculture had to adapt or be left behind in European markets. The transition was painful but ultimately successful - though some British farming publications continued printing hundredweight equivalents in parentheses for another generation.

## FAQ

### How many long hundredweights are in one metric ton?

Approximately 19.684 long hundredweights. One metric ton is 1,000 kilograms, and one long hundredweight is about 50.802 kilograms, so 1,000 divided by 50.802 gives 19.684. This is frustratingly close to but not exactly 20.

### Why is the metric ton close to but not exactly 20 hundredweights?

Because 20 long hundredweights equal one long ton (1,016 kg), which is 1.6 percent more than one metric ton (1,000 kg). The near-miss is a coincidence of history - the hundredweight was defined centuries before the metric ton existed, and neither was designed with the other in mind.

### Which is larger, a long ton or a metric ton?

The long ton at approximately 1,016 kg is about 1.6 percent heavier than the metric ton at exactly 1,000 kg. The difference of 16 kg is small in percentage terms but significant in commodity trading, where it represents real monetary value across large shipments.

## Non-Frequently Asked Questions

### Has the near-miss between 20 hundredweights and one metric ton ever caused commercial disasters?

Numerous disputes, if not outright disasters. A contract specifying '100 tons' without clarifying which ton means either 100 metric tons (1,968.4 cwt) or 100 long tons (2,000 cwt) - a difference of 31.6 hundredweights or about 1,600 kilograms. At commodity prices, that gap can be worth thousands of dollars. International trade lawyers have built entire careers on this ambiguity.

### Is 0.05080 metric tons the most forgettable conversion factor in existence?

It is certainly not memorable. Unlike clean ratios like 20 hundredweights per long ton, the metric-ton conversion produces a number that nobody can hold in their head. This is precisely why metrication advocates argue for abandoning the hundredweight entirely - its metric equivalent is simply not practical for mental arithmetic.

### If the metric system had been invented in Britain, would the metric ton equal 20 hundredweights?

Possibly. If the metric system had been designed around the hundredweight rather than the kilogram, a 'metric ton' might have been defined as exactly 20 hundredweights (50.8 kg each = 1,016 kg). But the French revolutionaries who created the metric system had no interest in English commercial weights, and the kilogram was derived from the mass of water, not from any existing trade unit.

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## See Also

- [Metric Tons to Hundredweights (UK)](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/weight/metric-tons-to-long-hundredweights/)