How do long tons and short tons compare?

One long ton (2,240 lbs) equals exactly 1.12 short tons (2,000 lbs each). The long ton is 240 pounds or about 12 percent heavier. Conversely, one short ton is about 0.893 long tons.

Why do America and Britain have different tons?

America simplified the British hundredweight from 112 to 100 pounds in the 19th century. Since both nations defined their ton as 20 hundredweights, American tons became 20 times 100 = 2,000 pounds while British tons remained 20 times 112 = 2,240 pounds. The hundredweight disagreement cascaded upward to create the ton disagreement.

Which countries use each ton?

The short ton is used almost exclusively in the United States. The long ton was used in Britain and Commonwealth nations but has been largely replaced by the metric ton since metrication. Most of the world now uses metric tons (1,000 kg), avoiding the long/short confusion entirely.

Long Tons to Short Tons (long tn to ton) Converter

1 long tn = 1.12 ton

1 Long Ton equals 1.12 Short Tons (1 long tn = 1.12 ton). Convert Long Tons to Short Tons with formula, table, and examples.

One long ton equals exactly 1.12 short tons. The long ton at 2,240 pounds is the British standard, and the short ton at 2,000 pounds is the American standard. The 12 percent difference between them - 240 pounds or about 109 kilograms - has been a persistent source of confusion and commercial disputes in transatlantic trade.

How to Convert Long Tons to Short Tons

ton = long tn × 1.12

Multiply the value in Long Tons by 1.12

Take your value in Long Tons
Multiply by 1.12
Read the result in Short Tons

Common Long Tons to Short Tons Conversions

Long Tons (long tn)	Short Tons (ton)	Status
0.1 long tn	0.112 ton
0.25 long tn	0.28 ton
0.5 long tn	0.56 ton
1 long tn	1.12 ton
2 long tn	2.24 ton
5 long tn	5.6 ton
10 long tn	11.2 ton
25 long tn	28 ton
50 long tn	56 ton
100 long tn	112 ton
500 long tn	560 ton
1,000 long tn	1,120 ton

Good to Know About Long Tons to Short Tons Conversion

The long-ton-to-short-ton conversion is the defining equation of the Anglo-American measurement divorce. When American independence severed political ties with Britain, commercial measurement ties frayed more slowly. America's decision to simplify the hundredweight from 112 to 100 pounds seemed innocuous at the time, but it created a permanent 12 percent gap in the most important commercial weight unit. Two centuries of trade disputes, contract ambiguities, and conversion errors followed. The metric ton's global adoption was, in part, an international community's tired response to the endless Anglo-American ton argument.

Long Tons to Short Tons: What You Need to Know

This conversion is critical for any trade between British and American markets. When a British contract specifies 'tons' without qualification and an American buyer interprets it as short tons, the resulting 12 percent quantity difference can mean thousands of dollars on large commodity deals. International trade organizations eventually adopted the metric ton specifically to eliminate this Anglo-American ambiguity.

What is a Long Ton? long tn

A long ton (imperial ton) is a unit of mass equal to exactly 2,240 pounds or 1,016.0469088 kilograms. It is used primarily in the United Kingdom for shipping and naval displacement.

Imperial UK shipping naval displacement Commonwealth trade

Learn more about Long Ton →

What is a Short Ton? ton

A short ton (US ton) is a unit of mass equal to exactly 2,000 pounds or 907.18474 kilograms. It is the standard ton used in the United States for commerce, industry, and shipping.

Imperial US shipping construction materials coal measurement

Learn more about Short Ton →

Going the other way? Use our Short Tons to Long Tons converter.

Long Tons to Short Tons FAQ

One long ton (2,240 lbs) equals exactly 1.12 short tons (2,000 lbs each). The long ton is 240 pounds or about 12 percent heavier. Conversely, one short ton is about 0.893 long tons.
America simplified the British hundredweight from 112 to 100 pounds in the 19th century. Since both nations defined their ton as 20 hundredweights, American tons became 20 times 100 = 2,000 pounds while British tons remained 20 times 112 = 2,240 pounds. The hundredweight disagreement cascaded upward to create the ton disagreement.
The short ton is used almost exclusively in the United States. The long ton was used in Britain and Commonwealth nations but has been largely replaced by the metric ton since metrication. Most of the world now uses metric tons (1,000 kg), avoiding the long/short confusion entirely.

Non-Frequently Asked Questions About Long Tons to Short Tons

Questions nobody should ask - but someone did.

Both interpretations are correct - the naming convention explicitly uses 'long' and 'short' to distinguish the heavier British version from the lighter American version. Without these qualifiers, the word 'ton' alone is ambiguous. International lawyers have argued this point many times, and the resolution is always the same: specify which ton you mean, or use metric.
Regularly. A contract for 10,000 tons of coal without specifying which ton creates a 240-ton gap between British and American interpretations. At commodity prices, that gap can exceed $1 million. Arbitration courts have entire case files dedicated to ton-type disputes. The legal profession has benefited enormously from this particular unit ambiguity.
In America, you get 2,000 pounds. In Britain, historically, you would get 2,240 pounds. In practice, modern British building suppliers deliver in metric tons (2,205 pounds). The phrase 'a ton of bricks' is more useful as a metaphor for heaviness than as a precise order, because nobody can agree on which ton it should be.