36,000
BTU/hr
10.5506
kW
10,550.55
W
36,000
BTU/hr
10.5506
kW
10,550.55
W
The Tons of Refrigeration to BTU per Hour Converter converts cooling capacity from tons of refrigeration (TR) to BTU/hr, kilowatts (kW), and watts using the standard definition 1 ton of refrigeration = 12,000 BTU/hr. The ton of refrigeration is the primary unit for rating air conditioning and commercial refrigeration equipment in North America.
The ton of refrigeration originated in the 19th century ice trade. It represents the rate of heat absorption needed to melt one short ton (2000 pounds) of ice in 24 hours. The latent heat of fusion of ice is 144 BTU/lb, so: 2000 lbs × 144 BTU/lb ÷ 24 hr = 12,000 BTU/hr. This historical definition has become the standard unit for HVAC cooling capacity.
Residential central air conditioning systems in the US typically range from 1.5 to 5 tons (18,000–60,000 BTU/hr or 5.3–17.6 kW). Commercial systems can be much larger — a large office building might require 200–1000 tons, and industrial chillers can exceed 2000 tons. The ton provides a convenient, whole-number scale for these applications.
Converting tons to kW is increasingly important as the HVAC industry adopts international standards. In many countries outside North America, cooling capacity is specified in kilowatts rather than tons. The conversion is 1 TR = 3.517 kW. This is also useful for calculating the electrical demand of cooling equipment, since the actual power consumed depends on the coefficient of performance (COP) of the system.
Our converter provides three output formats — BTU/hr for North American HVAC specifications, kilowatts for international standards, and watts for precision calculations — covering all practical cooling engineering applications.
The conversions: BTU/hr = tons × 12,000 (exact by definition), kW = tons × 3.51685, W = tons × 3516.85. The kW value comes from 12,000 BTU/hr × 0.293071 W/(BTU/hr).
Sizing guide: residential AC is typically 1 ton per 400–600 sq ft (depending on climate and insulation). A 2000 sq ft home might need a 3–5 ton system. COP of modern systems is 3–5, meaning a 5-ton (17.6 kW cooling) system draws only 3.5–5.9 kW of electricity.
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3-ton residential AC = 36,000 BTU/hr
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100-ton chiller = 1.2 million BTU/hr
Exactly 12,000 BTU/hr. This is the definition of a ton of refrigeration.
1 ton ≈ 3.517 kW of cooling capacity. Note this is heat removal rate, not electrical power consumed.
It represents the cooling rate from melting 1 short ton (2000 lbs) of ice in 24 hours: 2000 × 144 BTU/lb ÷ 24 hr = 12,000 BTU/hr.
General rule: 1 ton per 400–600 sq ft, depending on climate and insulation. A 2000 sq ft home typically needs 3–5 tons. A Manual J load calculation gives precise results.
A 5-ton AC removes 17.6 kW of heat. With a typical COP of 3–4, it draws about 4.4–5.9 kW of electricity. At SEER 16, annual usage is about 3750 kWh.
COP (Coefficient of Performance) = cooling output ÷ electrical input. A 5-ton (17.6 kW) system with COP 4 draws only 4.4 kW of electricity.
Tons measure cooling capacity (heat removal rate), while HP measures mechanical/electrical power. A 5-ton compressor might need 5–7 HP of motor power to operate.
Mini-splits are typically rated in BTU/hr (9,000–36,000) rather than tons. A 12,000 BTU/hr mini-split = 1 ton. A 24,000 BTU/hr unit = 2 tons.
Metric ton of refrigeration is rarely used but equals 13,898 BTU/hr (based on metric ton of ice). 1 US TR = 0.8631 metric TR.
District cooling plants can exceed 100,000 tons. The world's largest individual chiller plants serve airports and data centers at 10,000–40,000 tons.
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