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Refrigeration Tons to Kilowatts of Cooling Capacity

Convert refrigeration capacity between US refrigeration tons and thermal kilowatts, with a source-checked conversion factor and reverse entry.

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Calculator inputs

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How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the known values in the units shown. Results update as you type.
  2. Where results are editable, change one to solve backwards. Lock a value to hold it fixed.
  3. Use the worked example to check the method. Reset restores the starting fields.

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Formula and method

A cooling capacity of 2 refrigeration tons is 7.033706 thermal kW using the published NIST factor.

Cooling capacity (kW) = refrigeration tons × 3.516853.

Worked example

Enter these known values and leave the other values blank.

Cooling capacity in refrigeration tons
2
Cooling capacity in thermal kilowatts
7.034 kW

Assumptions and limitations

  • A US refrigeration ton is a heat-removal rate of 12,000 international-table BTU per hour. It is not a ton of mass.
  • The NIST published conversion is 3516.853 W per refrigeration ton, or 3.516853 kW. Its displayed precision is retained; results do not claim more physical precision than the factor.
  • These are thermal cooling kilowatts. Electrical input power depends on efficiency or coefficient of performance and cannot be obtained from capacity alone.
  • Both capacities must be positive. The captured tool describes an operating cooling capacity and rejects zero or negative inputs.

Common questions

Is thermal kW the electrical consumption?

Thermal kW measures cooling capacity. Electrical consumption requires the equipment efficiency or COP.

Can I convert kilowatts back to refrigeration tons?

Enter a positive thermal kilowatt capacity; tons equal thermal kW divided by 3.516853.

References

Replace the prematurely rounded 3.517 kW factor with the NIST published 3.516853 kW per US refrigeration ton, updating both inverse variants together. Thermal cooling capacity is distinct from electrical input power.

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