ConverterHub

Refrigeration Tons to kW Calculator

Convert cooling capacity between refrigeration tons and kilowatts instantly.

Result

99.52 RT
3.52 kW/RT

How it is calculated

The tool uses one fixed factor, 1 RT = 3.516853 kW (kilowatts of cooling capacity). Refrigeration tons to kW is kW = RT × 3.516853. The other direction is RT = kW ÷ 3.516853. Pick the direction first, because the same number is read as RT or as kW depending on it. Any direction value other than kW to RT is treated as RT to kW. The answer is rounded to two decimals. The factor line also shows 3.52 kW/RT, but that is only the display rounding and the calculation uses the full value. Zero is accepted, and a negative value gives no result. This is a tonne of refrigeration, which is not the same thing as a metric tonne of weight or a ton of cargo capacity.

Worked example

A chiller is rated at 350 kW of cooling and you want it in refrigeration tons. Choose kW to RT and divide by the factor: 350 ÷ 3.516853 = 99.519, shown as 99.52 RT. The tool also displays the factor as 3.52 kW/RT. In the other direction, 20 RT times 3.516853 gives 70.34 kW.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the direction on RT to kW when the number is already in kW. 350 then becomes 1,230.90 kW instead of 99.52 RT.
  • Multiplying by the displayed 3.52 instead of the exact factor. 20 RT × 3.52 is 70.40 kW, while the tool gives 70.34 kW.
  • Confusing cooling capacity in kW with the electrical power the compressor draws. The kW here is heat removed, and the electrical input is a different and usually smaller figure.
  • Typing a BTU/h or horsepower figure. The field accepts only RT or kW, so other power units must be converted first.
  • Treating refrigeration tons as a weight or as tons of ice per day in a different unit system. The tool works only with the 3.516853 kW definition.

About this calculator

A ton of refrigeration (RT) is a unit rooted in the 19th-century ice trade: it originally represented the rate of heat absorption needed to melt one short ton (2,000 lb) of ice in 24 hours. Converted to modern power units, that rate works out to the standard factor 1 RT = 3.516853 kW, which lets refrigeration and cooling capacity be translated between the ton-based unit still common in the US HVAC industry and the kilowatt units used almost everywhere else.

HVAC engineers, chiller manufacturers, and industrial refrigeration designers use this conversion constantly when specifying equipment, since a building's cooling load calculation, from sources like ASHRAE, often needs to be matched to chiller nameplate capacity, and the two are frequently quoted in different units depending on the manufacturer's country of origin.

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