Convert kilograms to tons
A thousand kilograms is one metric tonne, 1.1023 US short tons or 0.9842 British long tons. Enter the mass in kilograms and the answer appears as you type. The Ton type selector under the fields sets which ton the result is written in. For example, 2000 kg is 2.2046 tn.
How many tons are in 1000 kilograms?
A thousand kilograms is exactly one metric tonne. You divide the kilograms by a thousand: tonnes = kilograms ÷ 1,000[1].
In decimal writing that means moving the point three places to the left. Five hundred kilograms give 0.5 tonnes and two thousand kilograms give 2 tonnes. A mass of 3,500 kilograms reads as 3.5 t. Under 1,000 kilograms the answer is less than one, so 100 kilograms is 0.1 tonnes.
Short tons and long tons need a different divisor. A short ton is 907.18474 kilograms[2], so a thousand kilograms make 1.1023 short tons. A long ton is 2,240 pounds[3], or 1,016.0469088 kilograms, so the same mass makes 0.9842 long tons. The Ton type selector under the fields sets which one you get.
For the other direction, use the tons to kilograms converter, and single items convert in the kilograms to grams converter.
What is a kilogram, and what is a ton?
The kilogram is the SI base unit of mass, written kg. In November 2018 the international scientific community voted to redefine it in terms of the Planck constant, an invariant of nature[4]. Until then the kilogram was one golf-ball-sized artifact, a platinum and iridium cylinder cast in 1879 and kept in a triple-locked vault on the outskirts of Paris[4].
Larger masses are decimal multiples of the kilogram. A hundred kilograms is a metric quintal[5], and a thousand kilograms is a tonne, written t.
The tonne is not an SI unit, but it is accepted for use with the SI[1]. Inside the SI the same mass is a megagram, symbol Mg, a name that is rarely used[6]. A million grams comes to exactly the same megagram, as the grams to tons converter shows. Write the M as a capital, because mg is a milligram.
When is a mass better written in tons?
The tonne shortens the way large masses are written. For 850 kilograms, 850 kg is easier to read than 0.85 t because it has no decimal point. For 12,000 kilograms, 12 t is the shorter form, so large masses are easier to give in tonnes.
Values in between read well with one decimal place. A mass of 1,500 kilograms is 1.5 tonnes, 2,500 kilograms is 2.5 tonnes and 7,500 kilograms is 7.5 tonnes. In the United States the plain word hundredweight means 100 pounds[7], so the same 7,500 kilograms is 165.35 US hundredweight.
On a document from abroad, read the unit written next to the number. The symbol t means the metric tonne, tn means the short ton[7]; the long ton has no standard symbol, so documents write it out as long ton and the result field marks it long tn. The same three measures appear in the pounds to tons converter when the mass is given in pounds. When the figure arrives in ounces, the ounces to tons converter takes it to tons: 32,000 avoirdupois ounces make exactly one short ton.
Kilograms to tons conversion table
| Kilograms | Metric tonne | Short ton (US) | Long ton (British) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 kg | 0.001 t | 0.0011 tn | 0.001 long tn |
| 10 kg | 0.01 t | 0.011 tn | 0.0098 long tn |
| 25 kg | 0.025 t | 0.0276 tn | 0.0246 long tn |
| 50 kg | 0.05 t | 0.0551 tn | 0.0492 long tn |
| 100 kg | 0.1 t | 0.1102 tn | 0.0984 long tn |
| 200 kg | 0.2 t | 0.2205 tn | 0.1968 long tn |
| 250 kg | 0.25 t | 0.2756 tn | 0.2461 long tn |
| 500 kg | 0.5 t | 0.5512 tn | 0.4921 long tn |
| 750 kg | 0.75 t | 0.8267 tn | 0.7382 long tn |
| 1,000 kg | 1 t | 1.1023 tn | 0.9842 long tn |
| 1,200 kg | 1.2 t | 1.3228 tn | 1.181 long tn |
| 1,500 kg | 1.5 t | 1.6535 tn | 1.4763 long tn |
| 2,000 kg | 2 t | 2.2046 tn | 1.9684 long tn |
| 2,500 kg | 2.5 t | 2.7558 tn | 2.4605 long tn |
| 3,000 kg | 3 t | 3.3069 tn | 2.9526 long tn |
| 3,500 kg | 3.5 t | 3.8581 tn | 3.4447 long tn |
| 4,000 kg | 4 t | 4.4092 tn | 3.9368 long tn |
| 5,000 kg | 5 t | 5.5116 tn | 4.921 long tn |
| 6,000 kg | 6 t | 6.6139 tn | 5.9052 long tn |
| 7,500 kg | 7.5 t | 8.2673 tn | 7.3815 long tn |
| 8,000 kg | 8 t | 8.8185 tn | 7.8737 long tn |
| 10,000 kg | 10 t | 11.0231 tn | 9.8421 long tn |
| 12,000 kg | 12 t | 13.2277 tn | 11.8105 long tn |
| 15,000 kg | 15 t | 16.5347 tn | 14.7631 long tn |
| 20,000 kg | 20 t | 22.0462 tn | 19.6841 long tn |
| 25,000 kg | 25 t | 27.5578 tn | 24.6052 long tn |
| 30,000 kg | 30 t | 33.0693 tn | 29.5262 long tn |
| 40,000 kg | 40 t | 44.0925 tn | 39.3683 long tn |
| 50,000 kg | 50 t | 55.1156 tn | 49.2103 long tn |
| 100,000 kg | 100 t | 110.2311 tn | 98.4207 long tn |
| 1,000,000 kg | 1,000 t | 1,102.3113 tn | 984.2065 long tn |
How many tons does a thousand kilograms make?
| Type of ton | Kilograms in one ton | Tons in 1,000 kg | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short ton (tn) | 907.18474 kg | 1.1023 tn | United States, where the plain word ton means it |
| Long ton (long tn) | 1,016.0469088 kg | 0.9842 long tn | Ship displacement and bulk goods in the US, excluded from UK trade in 1985 |
| Metric tonne (t) | 1,000 kg | 1 t | Most English-speaking countries outside the US, spelled tonne |
How many kilograms are in units from the milligram to the kilotonne?
| Unit | Symbol | Mass in kilograms | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milligram | mg | 0.000001 kg | Medicine doses, nutrition labels |
| Gram | g | 0.001 kg | Recipes, letter post |
| Kilogram | kg | 1 kg | Retail scales and product labels |
| Quintal | q | 100 kg | Wholesale grain prices in Ethiopia, Eritrea and India |
| Metric tonne | t | 1,000 kg | Road haulage and industrial loads |
| Kilotonne | kt | 1,000,000 kg | A thousand tonnes, for very large masses |
Which number formats does this converter handle?
| What you type | What the converter shows | How we read it |
|---|---|---|
| 1250.5 | 1.2505 t | The decimal point from the numeric keypad, written the way English writes it |
| 1250,5 | 1.2505 t | A comma pasted from a market that writes decimals that way is read as a decimal point, so the result is the same |
| 1,500 | 1.5 t | Three digits follow the comma, so we read it as a thousands separator: the field holds one thousand five hundred. A note under the field shows the other possible reading, 1.5. |
| 3 500 | 3.5 t | A space between thousands, the way a spreadsheet pastes it, does not split the number in two |
| 3/4 | 0.00075 t | We work the fraction out ourselves, so there is no need to turn it into a decimal first |
| 900½ | 0.9005 t | The ½ character copied from a recipe or a label is added to the number in front of it |
| 1250.5 kg | 1.2505 t | A unit symbol pasted along with the number is no trouble: we take the number and leave the symbol out |
How do you convert kilograms to tons?
The arithmetic is one division. The steps show how to pick the divisor and round the answer.
Type the mass in kilograms
The result appears as you type. The field takes a dot or a comma as the decimal mark and a fraction with a slash, so 1500 1/2 gives the same answer as 1500.5.Decide which ton the answer belongs in
Check the unit on the document the result goes into. A US form that says ton without a qualifier takes short tons, a document in tonnes or metric tons takes the 1,000-kilogram unit, and figures for ship displacement or bulk goods may call for long tons.Pick that measure in the Ton type selector
The selector under the fields has three options: Metric (t), Short, US (tn) and Long, UK (long tn). The line under them gives the mass of each ton.Round the answer and take it further
Round to as many decimal places as your document needs, so 3,480 kilograms becomes 3.48 t with two places. The Copy result button puts the number on the clipboard and Swap order moves you to the tons to kilograms converter.
Convert other units to Tons (tn)
Convert Kilograms to other units
Sources
- The International System of Units (SI), NIST SP 330, Section 4 — non-SI units accepted for use with the SI — National Institute of Standards and Technology
- NIST Special Publication 1038 — The International System of Units (SI): Conversion Factors for General Use — National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Long ton — Wikipedia
- Kilogram — SI redefinition — National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Quintal — Wikipedia
- Tonne — Wikipedia
- Handbook 44 – 2026, Appendix C. General Tables of Units of Measurement — National Institute of Standards and Technology
Every figure in the tables was computed from the unit definitions and checked arithmetically before publication. Historical values and the names of local units come from the sources listed above.
Content last reviewed: · written and checked by the Arteon team
Frequently asked questions about kilograms and tons
How many tons is 1000 kg?
A thousand kilograms is exactly one metric tonne. The same mass is 1.1023 US short tons and 0.9842 British long tons.
How many tons is 500 kg?
Five hundred kilograms is half a metric tonne, written 0.5 t. In short tons the same mass gives 0.5512 tn.
How many tons is 2000 kg?
Two thousand kilograms is 2 metric tonnes. It is also 2.2046 short tons, because the short ton is the lighter unit of the two.
How many tons is 5000 kg?
Five thousand kilograms is 5 metric tonnes. That works out at 5.5116 short tons and 4.921 long tons.
How do you write 3500 kg in tons?
Three and a half thousand kilograms is written 3.5 t.
How do you convert kilograms to tons in your head?
Move the decimal point three places to the left. A mass of 12,000 kilograms becomes 12 tonnes and 850 kilograms becomes 0.85 tonnes.
How many kilograms are in a quintal?
A quintal is 100 kilograms, one tenth of a metric tonne. Wholesale grain markets in Ethiopia, Eritrea and India price by the quintal.
Does the word ton always mean 1000 kilograms?
A tonne or metric ton always means 1,000 kilograms. In American writing the plain word ton means the short ton of 907.18474 kilograms, so set the selector to that option when the figure comes from the United States.
How many tons is 100 kg?
A hundred kilograms is 0.1 metric tonnes, which is one quintal. In short tons the same mass gives 0.1102 tn.
Are a tonne and a megagram the same mass?
Yes, 1 t equals 1 Mg. Megagram is the SI name for that mass, but it is rarely used. Write it with a capital M, because mg is a milligram.
Have a question or a suggestion?
Write to us if the converter is missing a unit you need, or if one of the numbers here looks out of date.