Tons of refrigeration (TR)
The ton of refrigeration is 12,000 BTU per hour, about 3.5 kW, the cooling power of melting one short ton of ice over 24 hours.
Convert tons of refrigeration to any power unit
1 ton of refrigeration = 3,516.852842 watts
Quick facts
1 ton of refrigeration in other units
| Watts | 3,516.852842 W |
| Kilowatts | 3.516852842 kW |
| Horsepower | 4.716177347 hp |
| BTUs per hour | 12,000 BTU/h |
| Megawatts | 0.003516852842 MW |
| Metric horsepower | 4.781589149 PS |
| Gigawatts | 0.000003516853 GW |
| Milliwatts | 3,516,852.842 mW |
What is a ton of refrigeration?
The ton of refrigeration is 12,000 BTU per hour, about 3.5 kW, the cooling power of melting one short ton of ice over 24 hours. Central air conditioners in the US are sized in tons.
Where the ton of refrigeration sits among power units
The ton of refrigeration is number 25 of 32 on our scale of power units, ordered from smallest to largest.
Tons of refrigeration in real life
- A typical US home needs a 2–5 ton central AC
- One ton cools roughly 500–600 square feet
Top ton of refrigeration conversions
- Tons of refrigeration to watts
- Tons of refrigeration to kilowatts
- Tons of refrigeration to horsepower
- Tons of refrigeration to BTUs per hour
- Tons of refrigeration to megawatts
- Tons of refrigeration to metric horsepower
- Tons of refrigeration to gigawatts
- Tons of refrigeration to milliwatts
- Tons of refrigeration to kilovolt-amperes
- Tons of refrigeration to volt-amperes
Common amounts of tons of refrigeration
- 0.25 TR
- 0.5 TR
- 0.75 TR
- 1 TR
- 1.5 TR
- 2 TR
- 2.5 TR
- 3 TR
- 4 TR
- 5 TR
- 6 TR
- 7 TR
- 8 TR
- 9 TR
- 10 TR
- 11 TR
- 12 TR
- 13 TR
- 14 TR
- 15 TR
- 16 TR
- 17 TR
- 18 TR
- 19 TR
- 20 TR
- 21 TR
- 22 TR
- 23 TR
- 24 TR
- 25 TR
- 26 TR
- 27 TR
- 28 TR
- 29 TR
- 30 TR
- 31 TR
- 32 TR
- 33 TR
- 34 TR
- 35 TR
- 36 TR
- 37 TR
- 38 TR
- 39 TR
- 40 TR
- 41 TR
- 42 TR
- 43 TR
- 44 TR
- 45 TR
- 46 TR
- 47 TR
- 48 TR
- 49 TR
- 50 TR
- 60 TR
- 70 TR
- 80 TR
- 90 TR
- 100 TR
- 150 TR
- 200 TR
- 250 TR
- 300 TR
- 400 TR
- 500 TR
- 750 TR
- 1,000 TR
Convert tons of refrigeration to all 31 other units
Metric (SI)
Horsepower
Heat & refrigeration
Mechanical & other
Convert to tons of refrigeration
- Watts to tons of refrigeration
- Kilowatts to tons of refrigeration
- Horsepower to tons of refrigeration
- BTUs per hour to tons of refrigeration
- Megawatts to tons of refrigeration
- Metric horsepower to tons of refrigeration
- Gigawatts to tons of refrigeration
- Milliwatts to tons of refrigeration
- Kilovolt-amperes to tons of refrigeration
- Volt-amperes to tons of refrigeration
Frequently asked questions
What is a ton of refrigeration?
The ton of refrigeration is 12,000 BTU per hour, about 3.5 kW, the cooling power of melting one short ton of ice over 24 hours.
How is the ton of refrigeration defined?
12,000 BTU/h (about 3.517 kW).
How many watts are in a ton of refrigeration?
One ton of refrigeration equals 3,516.852842 watts.
How many kilowatts are in a ton of refrigeration?
One ton of refrigeration equals 3.516852842 kilowatts.
How many horsepower are in a ton of refrigeration?
One ton of refrigeration equals 4.716177347 horsepower.