Product Code Database
TNT equivalent is a convention for expressing energy, typically used to describe the energy released in an explosion. A ton of TNT equivalent is a unit of energy defined by convention to be (). It is the approximate energy released in the detonation of a tonne (1,000 kilograms) of trinitrotoluene (TNT). In other words, for each gram of TNT exploded, (or 4184 joules) of energy are released. This convention intends to compare the destructiveness of an event with that of conventional explosive materials, of which TNT is a typical example, although other conventional explosives such as dynamite contain more energy. A related concept is the physical quantity TNT-equivalent mass (or mass of TNT equivalent), expressed in the ordinary units of mass and its multiples: kilogram (kg), megagram (Mg) or tonne (t), etc.
The " megaton (of TNT equivalent)" is a unit of energy equal to 4.184 petajoules ().
The kiloton and megaton of TNT equivalent have traditionally been used to describe the energy output, and hence the destructive power, of a nuclear weapon. The TNT equivalent appears in various CTBT, and has been used to characterize the energy released in Impact event.
Where for example the comparison is by energy yield, an explosive's energy is normally expressed for chemical purposes as the thermodynamic work produced by its detonation. For TNT this has been accurately measured as 4,686 J/g from a large sample of air blast experiments, and theoretically calculated to be 4,853 J/g.
However, even on this basis, comparing the actual energy yields of a large nuclear device and an explosion of TNT can be slightly inaccurate. Small TNT explosions, especially in the open, do not tend to burn the carbon-particle and hydrocarbon products of the explosion. Gas-expansion and pressure-change effects tend to "freeze" the burn rapidly. A large, open explosion of TNT may maintain fireball temperatures high enough that some of those products do burn up with atmospheric oxygen. name="Needham">
Such differences can be substantial. For safety purposes, a range as wide as has been stated for a gram of trinitrotoluene upon explosion. Thus one can state that a nuclear bomb has a yield of 15 kt (), but the explosion of an actual pile of TNT may yield (for example) due to additional carbon/hydrocarbon oxidation not present with small open-air charges.
These complications have been sidestepped by convention. The energy released by one gram of TNT was arbitrarily defined as a matter of convention to be 4,184 J, In which is exactly one Calorie.
| milligram of TNT | mg | nanoton of TNT | nt | or 4.184 joules | 1.162 mWh | 46.55 fg |
| gram of TNT | g | microton of TNT | μt | or 4.184 kilojoules | 1.162 Wh | 46.55 pg |
| kilogram of TNT | kg | milliton of TNT | mt | or 4.184 megajoules | 1.162 kWh | 46.55 ng |
| megagram of TNT | Mg | ton of TNT | t | or 4.184 gigajoules | 1.162 MWh | 46.55 μg |
| gigagram of TNT | Gg | kiloton of TNT | kt | or 4.184 terajoules | 1.162 GWh | 46.55 mg |
| teragram of TNT | Tg | megaton of TNT | Mt | or 4.184 petajoules | 1.162 TWh | 46.55 g |
| petagram of TNT | Pg | gigaton of TNT | Gt | or 4.184 exajoules | 1.162 PWh | 46.55 kg |
| ! colspan="2" >Energy ! rowspan="2" | Description | ||
! Megatons of TNT ! [[Watt-hours]] [Wh] | |||
| 1.162 Wh | ≈ 1 food [[kilocalorie]] (kilocalorie, kcal), which is the approximate amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one [[kilogram]] of water by one degree [[Celsius]] at a pressure of one atmosphere. | ||
| 1.162 kWh | Under controlled conditions one kilogram of TNT can destroy (or even obliterate) a small vehicle. | ||
| 5.6 kWh | The energy to burn 1 kilogram of wood. | ||
| 11.62 kWh | Arc fault]] in a compartment within a 1-second period. | ||
| 13.94 kWh | Amount of TNT used (12 kg) in Coptic church explosion in [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]] on December 11, 2016 that left 29 dead and 47 injured | ||
| 2.90 MWh | The television show ''[[MythBusters]]'' used 2.5 tons of [[ANFO]] to make "homemade" diamonds. (Episode 116.) | ||
| – | 280–2,800 kWh | The energy output released by an average [[lightning]] discharge. | |
| 1.16–51.14 MWh | Conventional bombs yield from less than one ton to [[FOAB]]'s 44 tons. The yield of a Tomahawk cruise missile is equivalent to 500 kg of TNT. | ||
| 581 MWh | TNT]] () awaiting [[detonation]] at Operation Sailor Hat.]] | ||
| 2.088 GWh | Estimated yield of the Beirut explosion of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that killed initially 137 at and near a Lebanese port at 6 p.m. local time Tuesday August 4, 2020. An independent study by experts from the Blast and Impact Research Group at the University of Sheffield predicts the best estimate of the yield of Beirut explosion to be 0.5 kilotons of TNT and the reasonable bound estimate as 1.12 kilotons of TNT. | ||
| 1.16–2.32 GWh | Estimated yield of the [[Oppau explosion]] that killed more than 500 at a German fertilizer factory in 1921. | ||
| 2.67 GWh | Amount of [[solar energy]] falling on of land in a year is (an average over the Earth's surface). | ||
| 3.4 GWh | The Halifax Explosion in 1917 was the accidental detonation of 200 tons of TNT and 2,300 tons of Picric acid (1994). 9781551090955, Nimbus Publishing. ISBN 9781551090955
| ||
| 3.6 GWh | The Operation Big Bang on April 18, 1947, blasted the bunkers on [[Heligoland]]. It accumulated 6700 metric tons of surplus World War II ammunition placed in various locations around the island and set off. The energy released was , or about 3.2 kilotons of TNT equivalent. | ||
| 9.3 GWh | [[Minor Scale]], a 1985 United States conventional explosion, using 4,744 tons of [[ANFO]] explosive to provide a scaled equivalent airblast of an eight kiloton (33.44 TJ) nuclear device, is believed to be the largest planned detonation of conventional explosives in history. | ||
| 17.4–23.2 GWh | The [[Little Boy]] [[atomic bomb]] dropped on [[Hiroshima]] on August 6, 1945, exploded with an energy of about killing between 90,000 and 166,000 people, and the [[Fat Man]] [[atomic bomb]] dropped on [[Nagasaki]] on August 9, 1945, exploded with an energy of about killing over 60,000. The modern nuclear weapons in the United States arsenal range in yield from to equivalent, for the B83 strategic bomb. | ||
| > | 280 GWh | The typical energy yield of severe [[thunderstorm]]s. | |
| – | 20 MWh – 700 GWh | The estimated [[kinetic energy]] of [[tornado]]s. | |
| 1 | 1.16 TWh | The energy contained in one megaton of TNT (4.2 PJ) is enough to power the average American household for 103,000 years. (Calculated from 2007 value of 936 kWh monthly usage) The estimated upper limit blast power of the [[Tunguska event]] could power the same average home for more than 3,100,000 years. The energy of that blast could power the entire United States for 3.27 days. (Calculated from 2007 value of 3,892,000,000,000 kWh annual usage) | |
| 8.6 | 10 TWh | The energy output that would be released by a typical [[tropical cyclone]] in one minute, primarily from water condensation. Winds constitute 0.25% of that energy. cites 6E14 watts continuous. | |
| 16 | 18.6 TWh | The approximate radiated surface energy released in a magnitude 8 [[earthquake]]. | |
| 21.5 | 25 TWh | The complete conversion of 1 kg of matter into pure energy would yield the theoretical maximum (''E'' = ''mc''2) of 89.8 petajoules, which is equivalent to 21.5 megatons of TNT. No such method of total conversion as combining 500 grams of matter with 500 grams of antimatter has yet been achieved. In the event of proton–[[antiproton]] [[annihilation]], approximately 50% of the released energy will escape in the form of [[neutrinos]], which are almost undetectable. Electron–positron annihilation events emit their energy entirely as [[gamma rays]]. | |
| 24 | 28 TWh | Approximate total yield of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. | |
| 26.3 | 30.6 TWh | An animation of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami]] | |
| 53 TWh | The damage caused by the 2011 Tōhoku tsunami]] | ||
| 50–56 | 58 TWh | The [[Soviet Union]] developed a prototype thermonuclear device, nicknamed the [[Tsar Bomba]], which was tested at , but had a maximum theoretical design yield of .See [http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Weapons/Wpngall.html Currently deployed U.S. nuclear weapon yields] , [http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Weapons/Allbombs.html Complete List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons] , [http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Russia/TsarBomba.html Tsar Bomba] , all from Carey Sublette's Nuclear Weapon Archive. The effective destructive potential of such a weapon varies greatly, depending on such conditions as the altitude at which it is detonated, the characteristics of the target, the terrain, and the physical landscape upon which it is detonated. | |
| 61 | 70.9 TWh | The energy released by the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcanic eruption, in the southern Pacific Ocean, is estimated to have been equivalent to 61 Megatons of TNT. | |
| >84 | 97.04 TWh | The solar irradiance on Earth every second. | |
| 200 | 230 TWh | The total energy released by the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). | |
| 540 | 630 TWh | The total energy produced worldwide by all nuclear testing and combat usage combined, from the 1940s to the present, is about 540 megatons. | |
| 1,460 | 1.69 PWh | The total global nuclear arsenal is about 15,000 nuclear warheads with a destructive capacity of around 1460 megatons or 1.46 gigatons (1,460 million tons) of TNT. This is the equivalent of joules of energy | |
| >2,680 | 3 PWh | The aftermath of the 1960 Valdivia earthquake.]] | |
| 2,870 | 3.34 PWh | The energy released by a hurricane per day during condensation. | |
| 33,000 | 38.53 PWh | The total energy released by the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia. Yielded the equivalent of 2.2 million [[Little Boy]]s (the first atomic bomb to drop on [[Japan]]) or one-quarter of the entire world's annual energy consumption. This eruption was 4-10 times more destructive than the 1883 Krakatoa eruption. | |
| 240,000 | 280 PWh | The approximate total yield of the super-eruption of the La Garita Caldera is 10,000 times more powerful than the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. It was the second most energetic event to have occurred on Earth since the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago. | |
| 301,000 | 350 PWh | The total solar irradiance energy received by Earth in the upper atmosphere per hour. | |
| 875,000 | 1.02 EWh | Image of the Yellowstone supervolcano.]] | |
| 4.2 EWh | The solar irradiance of the Sun every 12 hours. | ||
| > | 7 EWh | The impact site of the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9]] | |
| > | 116 EWh | The animation of the Chicxulub impact.]] | |
| >> | >28 ZWh | The impact energy of Archean asteroids. | |
| 106 ZWh | The total energy output of the Sun per second. | ||
| 280 ZWh | The photo of the Caloris Planitia on Mercury. Taken by the [[MESSENGER]] orbiter.]] | ||
| RWh | Earth mass]]. | ||
| RWh | Total solar output in all directions per day. | ||
| Wh | Solar mass]]. | ||
| Wh | A type Ia supernova explosion gives off 1– joules of energy, which is about 2.4–4.8 hundred billion yottatons (24–48 octillion (2.4–) megatons) of TNT, equivalent to the explosive force of a quantity of TNT over a trillion (1012) times the mass of the planet Earth. This is the astrophysical standard candle used to determine galactic distances. | ||
| Wh | The largest type of supernova observed, [[gamma-ray burst]]s (GRBs) release more than 1046 joules of energy. | ||
| Wh | A merger of two black holes, resulting in the first observation of gravitational waves, released joules | ||
| Wh | Estimated mass-energy of the observable universe. |
This enables engineers to determine the proper masses of different explosives when applying blasting formulas developed specifically for TNT. For example, if a timber-cutting formula calls for a charge of 1 kg of TNT, then based on octanitrocubane's RE factor of 2.38, it would take only 1.0/2.38 (or 0.42) kg of it to do the same job. Using PETN, engineers would need 1.0/1.66 (or 0.60) kg to obtain the same effects as 1 kg of TNT. With ANFO or ammonium nitrate, they would require 1.0/0.74 (or 1.35) kg or 1.0/0.32 (or 3.125) kg, respectively.
Calculating a single RE factor for an explosive is, however, impossible. It depends on the specific case or use. Given a pair of explosives, one can produce 2× the shockwave output (this depends on the distance of measuring instruments) but the difference in direct metal cutting ability may be 4× higher for one type of metal and 7× higher for another type of metal. The relative differences between two explosives with shaped charges will be even greater. The table below should be taken as an example and not as a precise source of data.
| + Some relative effectiveness factor examples | |||
| Ammonium nitrate (AN + <0.5% H2O) | 0.88 | 2,700 US Army FM 3–34.214: Explosives and Demolition, 2007, page 1–2. | 0.32 |
| Mercury(II) fulminate | 4.42 | 4,250 | 0.51 |
| Gunpowder (75% KNO3 + 19% Carbon + 6% Sulfur, ancient low explosive) | 1.65 | 400 | 0.55 |
| Hexamine dinitrate (HDN) | 1.30 | 5,070 | 0.60 |
| Dinitrobenzene (DNB) | 1.50 | 6,025 | 0.60 |
| HMTD (hexamine peroxide) | 0.88 | 4,520 | 0.74 |
| ANFO (94% Ammonium nitrate + 6% fuel oil) | 0.92 | 4,200 | 0.74 |
| Urea nitrate | 1.67 | 4,700 | 0.77 |
| TATP (acetone peroxide) | 1.18 | 5,300 | 0.80 |
| Tovex Extra (Ammonium nitrate water gel) commercial product | 1.33 | 5,690 | 0.80 |
| Hydromite 600 (Ammonium nitrate water emulsion) commercial product | 1.24 | 5,550 | 0.80 |
| ANNMAL (66% Ammonium nitrate + 25% Nitromethane + 5% Aluminium + 3% Carbon + 1% TETA) | 1.16 | 5,360 | 0.87 |
| Amatol (50% Trinitrotoluene + 50% Ammonium nitrate) | 1.50 | 6,290 | 0.91 |
| Nitroguanidine | 1.32 | 6,750 | 0.95 |
| Trinitrotoluene (TNT) | 1.60 | 6,900 | 1.00 |
| Hexanitrostilbene (HNS) | 1.70 | 7,080 | 1.05 |
| Nitrourea | 1.45 | 6,860 | 1.05 |
| Tritonal (80% Trinitrotoluene + 20% aluminium) | 1.70 | 6,650 | 1.05 |
| Nickel hydrazine nitrate (NHN) | 1.70 | 7,000 | 1.05 |
| Amatol (80% Trinitrotoluene + 20% Ammonium nitrate) | 1.55 | 6,570 | 1.10 |
| Nitrocellulose (13.5% N, NC; AKA guncotton) | 1.40 | 6,400 | 1.10 |
| Nitromethane (NM) | 1.13 | 6,360 | 1.10 |
| PBXW-126 (22% NTO, 20% RDX, 20% AP, 26% Aluminium, 12% Polyurethane's system) | 1.80 | 6,450 | 1.10 |
| Diethylene glycol dinitrate (DEGDN) | 1.38 | 6,610 | 1.17 |
| PBXIH-135 EB (42% HMX, 33% Aluminium, 25% Polycaprolactone-TMETN's system) | 1.81 | 7,060 | 1.17 |
| PBXN-109 (64% RDX, 20% Aluminium, 16% HTPB's system) | 1.68 | 7,450 | 1.17 |
| Triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB) | 1.80 | 7,550 | 1.17 |
| Picric acid (TNP) | 1.71 | 7,350 | 1.17 |
| Trinitrobenzene (TNB) | 1.60 | 7,300 | 1.20 |
| Tetrytol (70% tetryl + 30% Trinitrotoluene) | 1.60 | 7,370 | 1.20 |
| Dynamite, Nobel's (75% Nitroglycerin + 23% diatomite) | 1.48 | 7,200 | 1.25 |
| Tetryl | 1.71 | 7,770 | 1.25 |
| Torpex (aka HBX, 41% RDX + 40% Trinitrotoluene + 18% Aluminium + 1% wax) | 1.80 | 7,440 | 1.30 |
| Composition B (63% RDX + 36% Trinitrotoluene + 1% wax) | 1.72 | 7,840 | 1.33 |
| Composition C-3 (78% RDX) | 1.60 | 7,630 | 1.33 |
| Composition C-4 (91% RDX) | 1.59 | 8,040 | 1.34 |
| Pentolite (56% PETN + 44% Trinitrotoluene) | 1.66 | 7,520 | 1.33 |
| Semtex 1A (76% PETN + 6% RDX) | 1.55 | 7,670 | 1.35 |
| Hexal (76% RDX + 20% Aluminium + 4% wax) | 1.79 | 7,640 | 1.35 |
| RISAL P (50% IPN + 28% RDX + 15% Aluminium + 4% Magnesium + 1% Zirconium + 2% Nitrocellulose) | 1.39 | 5,980 | 1.40 |
| Hydrazine nitrate | 1.59 | 8,500 | 1.42 |
| Mixture: 24% nitrobenzene + 76% TNM | 1.48 | 8,060 | 1.50 |
| Mixture: 30% nitrobenzene + 70% nitrogen tetroxide | 1.39 | 8,290 | 1.50 |
| Nitroglycerin (NG) | 1.59 | 7,700 | 1.54 |
| Methyl nitrate (MN) | 1.21 | 7,900 | 1.54 |
| Octol (80% HMX + 19% Trinitrotoluene + 1% Dinitrotoluene) | 1.83 | 8,690 | 1.54 |
| Nitrotriazolone (NTO) | 1.87 | 8,120 | 1.60 |
| DADNE (1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethene, FOX-7) | 1.77 | 8,330 | 1.60 |
| Gelignite (92% Nitroglycerin + 7% nitrocellulose) | 1.60 | 7,970 | 1.60 |
| Plastics Gel (in toothpaste tube: 45% PETN + 45% Nitroglycerin + 5% DEGDN + 4% Nitrocellulose) | 1.51 | 7,940 | 1.60 |
| Composition A-5 (98% RDX + 2% stearic acid) | 1.65 | 8,470 | 1.60 |
| Erythritol tetranitrate (ETN) | 1.72 | 8,206 | 1.60 |
| Hexogen (RDX) | 1.78 | 8,600 | 1.60 |
| PBXW-11 (96% HMX, 1% Acrylic rubber, 3% Dioctyl adipate) | 1.81 | 8,720 | 1.60 |
| Penthrite (PETN) | 1.77 | 8,400 | 1.66 |
| Ethylene glycol dinitrate (EGDN) | 1.49 | 8,300 | 1.66 |
| MEDINA (Methylene dinitroamine) | 1.65 | 8,700 | 1.70 |
| Trinitroazetidine (TNAZ) | 1.85 | 9,597 | 1.70 |
| Octogen (HMX grade B) | 1.86 | 9,100 | 1.70 |
| Hexanitrobenzene (HNB) | 1.97 | 9,340 | 1.80 |
| Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (HNIW; AKA CL-20) | 1.97 | 9,500 | 1.90 |
| AFX-757 (25% RDX, 30% ammonium perchlorate, 33% aluminium) | 1.84 | 6,080 | 1.90 |
| DDF (4,4'-Dinitro-3,3'-diazenofuroxan) | 1.98 | 10,000 | 1.95 |
| Heptanitrocubane (HNC) | 1.92 | 9,200 | N/A |
| Octanitrocubane (ONC) | 1.95 | 10,600 | 2.38 |
| Octaazacubane (OAC) | 2.69 | 15,000 |
| + Nuclear weapons and the most powerful non-nuclear weapon examples | |||
| GBU-57 bomb (Massive Ordnance Penetrator, MOP) | 0.0035 | 13,600 | 0.26 |
| Grand Slam (Earthquake bomb, M110) | 0.0065 | 9,900 | 0.66 |
| Bomb used in Oklahoma City (ANFO based on Nitromethane) | 0.0018 | 2,300 | 0.78 |
| BLU-82 (Daisy Cutter) | 0.0075 | 6,800 | 1.10 |
| MOAB (non-nuclear bomb, GBU-43) | 0.011 | 9,800 | 1.13 |
| FOAB (advanced thermobaric bomb, ATBIP) | 0.044 | 9,100 | 4.83 |
| W54, Mk-54 (Davy Crockett) | 0.022 | 23 | 1,000 |
| Little Boy (dropped on Hiroshima) A-bomb | 15 | 4,400 | 4,000 |
| Fat Man (dropped on Nagasaki) A-bomb | 20 | 4,600 | 4,500 |
| W54, B54 (SADM) | 1.0 | 23 | 43,500 |
| Classic (one-stage) fission A-bomb | 22 | 420 | 50,000 |
| Hypothetical suitcase nuke | 2.5 | 31 | 80,000 |
| Typical (two-stage) nuclear bomb | 500–1000 | 650–1,120 | 900,000 |
| W88 modern thermonuclear warhead (MIRV) | 470 | 355 | 1,300,000 |
| Tsar Bomba (three-stage) | 50,000–56,000 | 26,500 | 2,100,000 |
| B53 nuclear bomb (two-stage) | 9,000 | 4,050 | 2,200,000 |
| Operation Dominic Housatonic (two-stage) | 9,960 | 3,239 | 3,042,400 |
| W56 thermonuclear warhead | 1,200 | 272–308 | 4,960,000 |
| B41 nuclear bomb (three-stage) | 25,000 | 4,850 | 5,100,000 |
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