Short ton
The short ton is a customary unit of mass equal to 2,000 pounds, or approximately 907.185 kilograms. It is used primarily in the United States.
Pound (mass): A unit of mass equal to 16 ounces or approximately 0.453592 kilograms. The short ton is defined as exactly 2,000 pounds.
United States customary units: The non-SI measurement system used for many everyday and commercial measurements in the United States. The short ton is a standard large-mass unit within this system.
Tonne: The common name for the metric ton, a mass unit equal to 1,000 kilograms. The tonne is the international alternative most often confused with the short ton.
Metrication: The adoption or expansion of the metric system in a country or field. Metrication replaces short-ton reporting with metric units in many settings.
Avoirdupois system: A system of weights based on the pound of 16 ounces, used for most everyday measurements in the United States. The short ton belongs to this customary weight system.
Freight transport: The movement of goods by road, rail, air, or water. Bulk freight weights in the United States may be stated in short tons.
Ton: A name used for several mass units, including the short ton, long ton, and metric ton. The unqualified word can denote different quantities in different contexts.
Unit conversion: The process of expressing a quantity in a different unit without changing its value. Converting short tons correctly requires the exact pound-to-kilogram relationship.
Mass: A physical property measuring the amount of matter in an object or system. The short ton measures mass, not force.
Coal mining: The extraction of coal from underground or surface deposits. U.S. coal production and consumption are commonly reported in short tons.