Short Ton (ton)
The short ton is a unit of mass equal to 2,000 pounds or approximately 907.185 kilograms. Used almost exclusively in the United States, it is the default meaning of "ton" in American English. The short ton measures bulk commodities like coal, grain, gravel, and scrap metal in domestic US trade and industry.
Definition
One short ton equals exactly 2,000 avoirdupois pounds, approximately 907.185 kilograms, approximately 0.9072 metric tons, or approximately 0.8929 long tons. It is subdivided into 20 short hundredweights of 100 pounds each. In the United States, the unqualified word "ton" almost always refers to the short ton unless otherwise specified.
History
The short ton evolved from the need for a round number of pounds in American commerce. While the British long ton of 2,240 pounds (based on 20 hundredweights of 112 pounds each) was the traditional English ton, American practice simplified it to 2,000 pounds (20 hundredweights of 100 pounds each). This "short" ton became the standard in the United States by the 19th century. The distinction between short and long tons has caused confusion in international trade for centuries, which is one reason the metric ton (1,000 kg) has become the preferred unit in global commerce.
Common Uses
In the United States, the short ton is used for coal production and consumption figures, agricultural commodity trading (grain, soybeans, corn), construction materials (gravel, sand, asphalt), scrap metal recycling, and waste management statistics. Vehicle weight ratings and towing capacities in the US are sometimes expressed in tons (short). Mining output in the US is reported in short tons. The short ton is rarely used outside the United States, where the metric ton dominates international trade.
Did You Know? Facts About Short Ton
- The US produces approximately 500 million short tons of coal per year, though production has been declining since 2008.
- A standard railroad hopper car in the US carries about 100 short tons of coal or grain.
- The word "ton" without qualification means different things on different continents: 2,000 lbs in the US, 2,240 lbs in the UK, and 1,000 kg in metric countries.
- The average American generates about 4.4 pounds of waste per day, adding up to roughly 0.8 short tons per person per year.
- The short ton is sometimes called the "net ton" in shipping contexts, while the long ton is the "gross ton."