| Long ton | |
|---|---|
| Unit system | Imperial units,United States customary units |
| Unit of | Mass |
| Symbol | long ton |
| In base units | 2,240 lb |
| Conversions | |
| 1 long tonin ... | ... is equal to ... |
| SI base units | 1,016.047 kg |
| Metric tons | 1.016047 t |
| Short tons | 1.12 short tons(exactly) |
Thelong ton,[1] also known as theimperial ton,displacement ton,[1][2] orBritish ton,[3] is a measurementunit equal to 2,240 pounds (1,016.0 kg). It is the name for the unit called the "ton" in theavoirdupois system of weights orImperial system of measurements. It was standardised in the 13th century. It is used in theUnited States for bulk commodities.
It is not to be confused with theshort ton, a unit of weight equal to 2,000pounds (907.2 kg) used in the United States, and Canada beforemetrication, also referred to simply as a "ton".
A long ton is defined as exactly 2,240 pounds. The long ton arises from the traditional British measurement system: A long ton is 20long hundredweight (cwt), each of which is 8stone(1 stone = 14 pounds). Thus, a long ton is20 × 8 × 14 lb = 2,240 lb.
A long ton, also called theweight ton (W/T),[1]imperial ton, ordisplacement ton, is equal to:
To comply with the practices of the European Union, the British Imperial ton was explicitly excluded from use for trade by the United Kingdom'sWeights and Measures Act of 1985.[4][5] The measure used since then is the tonne, equal to 1,000 kilograms.
If still used for measurement, then the word "ton" is taken to refer to an imperial or long ton.[6]
In the United States, the long ton is commonly used in measuring thedisplacement ofships and the shipping ofbaled commodities[1] and bulk goods likeiron ore and elementalsulfur.[citation needed]
The long ton was the unit prescribed forwarships by theWashington Naval Treaty of 1922; for example,battleships were limited to a displacement of 35,000 long tons (35,560 t; 39,200 short tons).The long ton is traditionally used as the unit of weight in international contracts for many bulk goods and commodities.[citation needed]