Ton of Refrigeration (TR) - Unit Information & Conversion
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What is a Ton of Refrigeration?
Ton of refrigeration (cooling ton) measures air conditioning and refrigeration capacity. 1 TR = 12,000 BTU/h = 3.517 kW. Based on melting 1 ton of ice in 24 hours. Residential AC: 1.5-5 tons typical. Commercial: 10-100+ tons.
History of the Ton of Refrigeration
Originated in 19th century ice production industry. 1 ton = cooling power to freeze 1 ton (2,000 lbs) of water to ice in 24 hours. Standard HVAC unit in US and many countries since early 1900s.
Quick Answer
What is a Ton of Refrigeration? A ton of refrigeration (TR) measures cooling capacity. 1 ton = 12,000 BTU/h = 3.517 kW cooling power. NOT a weight measurement! Small home AC: 1.5-2 tons. Large home: 3-5 tons. Commercial building: 50-500 tons. Use our power converter for conversions.
Definition
1 ton of refrigeration (TR) = 12,000 BTU/h = 3.517 kW = 3,024 kcal/h
Origin: Heat absorbed by melting 1 ton (2,000 lbs) of ice at 32°F in 24 hours
Common Uses
Residential AC: Home air conditioning systems (1.5-5 tons typical). Commercial HVAC: Office buildings, retail (10-200 tons per system). Industrial Refrigeration: Cold storage, food processing (50-500+ tons). Chiller Systems: Large building cooling, data centers.
Real-World Examples
Residential Air Conditioning
- Studio/1BR apartment: 1-1.5 tons
- Small home (1,000 sq ft): 1.5-2 tons
- Medium home (1,500 sq ft): 2.5-3 tons
- Large home (2,000 sq ft): 3-4 tons
- Very large home (3,000+ sq ft): 4-5 tons
- Mansion (5,000+ sq ft): 7-10+ tons (often multiple units)
Rule of thumb: 1 ton per 400-600 square feet (varies by climate, insulation)
Commercial Applications
- Small office (5,000 sq ft): 10-15 tons
- Restaurant: 3-5 tons per 1,000 sq ft (high load from kitchen)
- Retail store (10,000 sq ft): 20-30 tons
- Office building (50,000 sq ft): 100-150 tons
- Shopping mall: 200-500+ tons
- Data center: 50-500 tons (high cooling loads)
- Hospital: 1-3 tons per 1,000 sq ft (24/7 operation)
Industrial Refrigeration
- Walk-in cooler (restaurant): 1-3 tons
- Supermarket refrigeration: 50-150 tons total
- Cold storage warehouse: 100-500 tons
- Ice rink: 50-100 tons
- Food processing plant: 200-1,000+ tons
Ton of Refrigeration Conversion Formulas
To Watt:
To Milliwatt:
To Kilowatt:
To Megawatt:
To Gigawatt:
To Horsepower:
To Metric Horsepower:
To Electric Horsepower:
To BTU per Hour:
To BTU per Minute:
To BTU per Second:
To Foot-pound per Second:
To Foot-pound per Minute:
To Calorie per Second:
To Kilocalorie per Hour:
To Erg per Second:
To Joule per Second:
Frequently Asked Questions
Basic calculation: Square footage ÷ 400-600 = tons needed More accurate method:
- Calculate BTU/h needed (sq ft × 20-25 BTU/h)
- Divide by 12,000 to get tons Example (1,800 sq ft home):
- BTU/h needed: 1,800 × 22 = 39,600 BTU/h
- Tons needed: 39,600 ÷ 12,000 = 3.3 tons
- Choose: 3 ton or 3.5 ton system Factors affecting sizing:
- Climate zone (hot = more, moderate = less)
- Insulation quality
- Window area and orientation
- Ceiling height
- Number of occupants
- Heat-generating appliances [AC sizing calculator]
Convert Ton of Refrigeration
Need to convert Ton of Refrigeration to other power units? Use our conversion tool.
Ton of Refrigeration Quick Info
Related Power Units
Popular Conversions
- Ton of Refrigeration to WattConvert →1 TR = 3516.8532 W
- Ton of Refrigeration to MilliwattConvert →1 TR = 3516853.2 mW
- Ton of Refrigeration to KilowattConvert →1 TR = 3.516853 kW
- Ton of Refrigeration to MegawattConvert →1 TR = 0.003517 MW
- Ton of Refrigeration to GigawattConvert →1 TR = 0.000004 GW
- Ton of Refrigeration to HorsepowerConvert →1 TR = 4.716178 hp