Convert Kilowatts to Tons of refrigeration
1 kilowatt is 0.28 TR. One kilowatt is exactly 0.284345136094 tons of refrigeration.
One kilowatt is 0.28434514 tons of refrigeration. To convert kilowatts to tons of refrigeration, multiply by 0.28434514; to go the other way, divide by 0.28434514 or multiply by 3.5168528. The relation is exact but the figure is not: it is a rounding of a number that does not terminate, and it follows from NIST Special Publication 811. A thousand watts.
Factor checked against the defining standard · How we check
- Kilowatts × 0.28434514
1 * 0.28434510.284 TR
1 kilowatt in every power unit
| Unit | Value | Exact factor |
|---|---|---|
| horsepower | 1.34102209 hp | × 1.3410220896 |
| metric horsepower | 1.359621617 PS | × 1.3596216173 |
| watts | 1,000 W | × 1,000 |
| kilowatts (as entered) | 1 kW | — |
| milliwatts | 1,000,000 mW | × 1,000,000 |
| megawatts | 0.001 MW | × 0.001 |
| tons of refrigeration | 0.2843451361 TR | × 0.284345136094 |
| BTU per hour | 3,412.141633 BTU/h | × 3,412.14163313 |
Factors are entered by hand from NIST Special Publication 811 rather than derived from a units library, so the ones that terminate are exact rather than rounded.
How do you convert kilowatts to tons of refrigeration? The converter and the working
- 1.Take the measurement in kilowatts.
- 2.Multiply by 0.28434514 — that is how many tons of refrigeration fit in one kilowatt.
- 3.To go back the other way, divide by 0.28434514, or multiply by 3.5168528.
Worked example: 25 kilowatts to tons of refrigeration
- Formula
- kW × 0.28434514 = TR
- Arithmetic
- 25 × 0.28434514 = 7.11 TR
- Answer
- 25 kW = 7.11 TR
The factor is rounded for display; the figure above is computed from the full value.
Kilowatts to tons of refrigeration conversion table
| Kilowatts | Tons of refrigeration |
|---|---|
| 1 kW | 0.28 TR |
| 2 kW | 0.57 TR |
| 3 kW | 0.85 TR |
| 4 kW | 1.14 TR |
| 5 kW | 1.42 TR |
| 6 kW | 1.71 TR |
| 7 kW | 1.99 TR |
| 8 kW | 2.27 TR |
| 9 kW | 2.56 TR |
| 10 kW | 2.84 TR |
| 12 kW | 3.41 TR |
| 15 kW | 4.27 TR |
| 20 kW | 5.69 TR |
| 25 kW | 7.11 TR |
| 50 kW | 14.22 TR |
| 100 kW | 28.43 TR |
| 200 kW | 56.87 TR |
| 300 kW | 85.3 TR |
| 500 kW | 142.17 TR |
| 1000 kW | 284.35 TR |
| 2000 kW | 568.69 TR |
| 5000 kW | 1,421.73 TR |
| 10000 kW | 2,843.45 TR |
What is a kilowatt?
A thousand watts. Electric motors, kettles and EV chargers are rated here, and a kilowatt is close to 1.34 horsepower.
What is a ton of refrigeration?
Exactly 12,000 BTU an hour — the rate at which a short ton of ice melts over a day, which is what air conditioning was measured against before it was made electrically. A three-ton domestic unit is 36,000 BTU/h, or 10.5 kW.
How many tons of refrigeration are in a kilowatt?
One kilowatt is 0.28434514 tons of refrigeration. Going the other way, one ton of refrigeration is 3.5168528 kilowatts. Both figures come from the same defined relation rather than from a measurement, which is why they are the same today as they were in 1959.
Every power unit here
The whole group — 8 units with their symbols and the size of each one in watts — is on the conversion index, along with every pair it makes. The table above already gives each of them relative to a kilowatt.
Source: NIST Special Publication 811 — mechanical horsepower is 550 ft·lbf/s exactly
Cite this page
- APA
- Rule Calculator. (2026). Convert Kilowatts to tons of refrigeration. Rule Calculator. https://rulecalculators.com/convert/kilowatt-to-ton-of-refrigeration
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- Rule Calculator. "Convert Kilowatts to tons of refrigeration." Rule Calculator. Last reviewed August 16, 2026. https://rulecalculators.com/convert/kilowatt-to-ton-of-refrigeration.
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Questions people actually ask
- How many tons of refrigeration are in a kilowatt?
- 0.28434514. Exactly 12,000 BTU an hour — the rate at which a short ton of ice melts over a day, which is what air conditioning was measured against before it was made electrically. A three-ton domestic unit is 36,000 BTU/h, or 10.5 kW.
- How do I convert tons of refrigeration back to kilowatts?
- Divide by 0.28434514, or multiply by 3.5168528 — they are the same operation.
Other power conversions
Tons of refrigeration to kilowatts — the same conversion the other way.