upcScavenger » Non-si Metric Units » Wiki: Tonne

Tonne

( Non-si Metric Units )

Symbol and abbreviations
Origin and spelling

French pre-metric tonne

Conversions
Derived units
Alternative usages

Metric ton units
Use of mass as proxy for..
Unit of force

See also
Notes and references
External links

C O N T E N T S

Metric Ton Tonne Unit

Rank: 100%

Wiki
Comments
Media

The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 . It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the ton of the short ton (United States customary units) and the long ton (Imperial units). It is equivalent to approximately 2,204.6 pounds, 1.102 short tons, and 0.984 long tons. The official SI unit is the megagram ( Mg), a less common way to express the same amount.

Symbol and abbreviations

The BIPM symbol for the tonne is t, adopted at the same time as the unit in 1879. Table 6 . BIPM. Retrieved on 2011-07-10. Its use is also official for the metric ton in the United States, having been adopted by the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).NIST Special Publication 330, 2019 edition states "The name of the unit with symbol t and defined according to 1 t = 10³ kg is called 'metric ton' rather than 'tonne.'". It is a symbol, not an abbreviation, and should not be followed by a period. Use of lower case is significant, and use of other letter combinations can lead to ambiguity. For example, T, MT, mT, are the SI symbols for the tesla, megatesla, and millitesla, respectively, while Mt and mt are SI-compatible symbols for the megatonne (one teragram) and millitonne (one kilogram). If describing TNT equivalent units of energy, one megatonne of TNT is equivalent to approximately 4.184 .

Origin and spelling

In English, tonne is an established spelling alternative to metric ton. In American English and British English, tonne is usually pronounced the same as ton (), but the final "e" can also be pronounced, i.e. "tunnie" ().The Oxford English dictionary 2nd ed. lists both /tʌn/ and /ˈtʌni/ In Australian English, the common and recommended pronunciation is . In the United States, metric ton is the name for this unit used and recommended by NIST; Metric System of Measurement: Interpretation of the International System of Units for the United States (PDF). See corrections in the Errata section of [4] . an unqualified mention of a ton typically refers to a short ton of 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) and to a lesser extent to a long ton of 2,240 lb (1,016 kg), with the term tonne rarely used in speech or writing. Both terms are acceptable in Canadian English.

Ton and tonne are both derived from a Germanic word in general use in the North Sea area since the Middle Ages ( Old English and Old Frisian tunne, Old High German and Medieval Latin tunna, German language and French language tonne) to designate a large cask, or tun. A full tun, standing about a metre high, could easily weigh a tonne. See also the common German word Mülltonne]] ().

The spelling tonne pre-dates the introduction of the SI in 1960; it has been used with this meaning in France since 1842, when there were no metric prefixes for multiples of 10⁶ and above, and is now used as the standard spelling for the metric mass measurement in most English language-speaking countries. "Tonne" is listed under "The Principal Metric Units of Measurement" on p. 7. "Tonne" is listed under Schedule 1, Part 3 as a non-SI unit of measurement used with SI units of measurement. In the United States, the unit was originally referred to using the French language words millier or tonneau,Act of 28 July 1866, codified in but these terms are now obsolete. The British imperial and United States customary units are comparable to the tonne and the spelling of ton in English is the same, though they differ in mass.

French pre-metric tonne

Prior to metrification the French tonne consisted of 2000 French pounds (livres). Therefore a French tonne of that era weighed 979 kg compared to an English ton of 1016 kg. Prior to the use of tonne for this weight tonneau (plural: tonneaux) was used.

(2025). 9781473893511, Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781473893511

Conversions

One tonne is equivalent to:

by definition.
or 1 megagram (Mg). Megagram is the corresponding official SI unit with the same mass; it is rarely used, in part because the base SI unit of mass is the kilogram, not the gram. Mg is distinct from mg, milligram.
pounds (lb), by definition of the pound, or approximately .
short tons (tn), exactly, or approximately tn.

One short ton is exactly .National Institute of Standards and Technology.

long tons (LT), exactly, or approximately LT.

One long ton is exactly .

A tonne is the mass of one cubic metre of pure water at .

Derived units

As a non-SI unit, the use of SI metric prefixes with the tonne does not fall within the SI standard. For multiples of the tonne, it is more usual to speak of thousands or millions of tonnes. Kilotonne, megatonne, and gigatonne are more usually used for the energy of nuclear explosions and other events in TNT equivalent, often loosely as approximate figures. When used in this context, there is little need to distinguish between metric and other tons, and the unit is spelled either as ton or tonne with the relevant prefix attached.

t	Mg	LT
ktThough non-standard, the symbol "kt" is also used (instead of the standard symbol "kn") for knot, a unit of speed for aircraft and watercraft. The standard meaning of the symbol kt is for kilotonne.	Gg	LT
Mt	Tg	LT
Gt	Pg	million LT

Alternative usages

Metric ton units

A metric ton unit (mtu) can mean within metal trading, particularly within the United States. It traditionally referred to a metric ton of ore containing 1% (i.e. 10 kg) of metal. How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement . Unc.edu. Retrieved on 2011-07-10. The following excerpt from a mining geology textbook describes its usage in the particular case of tungsten:

In the case of uranium, MTU is sometimes used in the sense of metric ton of uranium (). Reference.Pdf. (PDF) . Retrieved on 2011-07-10." Glossary ". (June 2000). Disposition of Surplus Hanford Site Uranium, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington. US Department of Energy." Acronyms ". Y-12 National Security Complex. NRC Collection of Abbreviations (NUREG-0544, Rev. 4), United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Nrc.gov (2011-03-13). Retrieved on 2011-07-10.

Use of mass as proxy for energy

The tonne of trinitrotoluene (TNT) is used as a proxy for energy, usually of explosions (TNT is a common high explosive). Prefixes are used: kiloton(ne), megaton(ne), gigaton(ne), especially for expressing nuclear weapon yield, based on a Fuel value of TNT of about 4.2 megajoule/kilogram (or one calorie per milligram). Hence, 1 t TNT = 4.2 Gigajoule, 1 kiloton TNT = approx. 4.2 Terajoule, 1 Mt TNT = approx. 4.2 Petajoule.

The SI unit of energy is the joule. One tonne of TNT is approximately equivalent to 4.2 gigajoules.

In the petroleum industry, the tonne of oil equivalent (toe) is a unit of energy: the amount of energy released by burning one tonne of crude oil, approximately 42 GJ. There are several slightly different definitions. This is ten times as much as a tonne of TNT because atmospheric oxygen is used.

Unit of force

Like the gram and the kilogram, the tonne gave rise to a (now obsolete) force unit of the same name, the tonne-force, equivalent to about 9.8 kilonewtons. The unit is also often called simply "tonne" or "metric ton" without identifying it as a unit of force. In contrast to the tonne as a mass unit, the tonne-force is not accepted for use with SI.

Tonne

( Non-si Metric Units )

Account

Navigation

Statistics

Tonne ( Non-si Metric Units )

Account

Navigation

Statistics

Tonne

( Non-si Metric Units )