Convert ounces to tons

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Exactly 32,000 oz make one US short ton, and one avoirdupois ounce is 0.00002835 of a metric tonne. Type the number of ounces and the tons appear as you type. Two switches under the fields set the ounce and the ton, because both units carry more than one value.

oz
tn
Ounce type

Avoirdupois: 28.3495 g, the ounce of ordinary commerce. Troy: 31.1035 g, the ounce of gold, silver and platinum.

Ton type

Metric: 1,000 kg, or 2,204.6226 lb, the measure used across Europe. Short: exactly 2,000 lb, what the word ton means in the United States and Canada. Long: exactly 2,240 lb, the British ton, used in the US for ship displacement and bulk goods.

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How many tons are in a million ounces?

A million avoirdupois ounces come to 28.35 metric tonnes, and a million troy ounces to 31.1 tonnes. The formula multiplies by the mass of one ounce: tons = ounces × 0.000028349523125 for the avoirdupois ounce[1].

Two answers are whole numbers going the other way: exactly 32,000 ounces make one short ton and exactly 35,840 make one long ton[1]. The metric tonne takes 35,273.96 ounces, because it starts from the kilogram.

Bullion figures use the troy ounce of 31.1034768 grams[1]. On that reading a metric tonne takes 32,150.75 ounces, a short ton 29,166.67 and a long ton 32,666.67.

Both measures sit in switches under the fields: Ounce type and Ton type. The abbreviation next to the result field moves between t, tn and long tn as the choice changes.

For the opposite direction use the tons to ounces converter.

What is an ounce and what is a ton?

An ounce is one sixteenth of a pound and weighs exactly 28.349523125 grams[1]. This is the avoirdupois ounce, the one behind a shipping weight, a food label and a postal tariff. Its value in pounds is in the ounces to pounds converter.

The second is the troy ounce of exactly 31.1034768 grams[1]. It divides into 20 pennyweights and twelve of them make a troy pound, which is why bullion arithmetic produces its own set of numbers.

On the other side of the field the ton carries three values. The short ton is 2,000 pounds, or 907.18474 kilograms, and it is what the word means in the United States and Canada[1]. The long ton is 2,240 pounds, or 1,016.0469088 kilograms[1]. The metric tonne is 1,000 kilograms[2] and is accepted for use with the SI[3].

The spread between the extremes is twelve percent, so the same ounce count lands on three noticeably different tonnages. For a single ounce in grams, open the ounces to grams converter.

Where do figures in millions of ounces come from?

Mining companies and central banks report bullion in troy ounces and cargo in tons, so the two meet in every reserve statement. The US Treasury publishes its gold position every month; on 31 August 2026 it stood at 261,498,926.241 fine troy ounces[4], which converts to 8,133.53 metric tonnes.

Silver bars laid side by side: four long bars stamped 20 TROY OZ, a larger one stamped ONE KILO and small ones stamped 100 GRAMS
The four long bars are stamped 20 TROY OZ, which is 622.07 grams each. The largest bar next to them reads ONE KILO, and the small ones along the right edge 100 GRAMS. Photo: Scottsdale Mint, Unsplash.

The most converted line in that report is Fort Knox, which held 147,341,858.382 ounces[4], or 4,582.84 tonnes. The rest sits at the Denver and West Point mints and in Federal Reserve vaults[4].

Figures of that size are easier to handle in millions of ounces. One million troy ounces is 31.1 metric tonnes. Ten million comes to 311.03 tonnes and a hundred million to 3,110.35 tonnes. Those three figures are enough to size up any reserve announcement from memory.

Avoirdupois ounces to tons conversion table

The three columns match the three options of the Ton type switch. The 32,000-ounce row carries the definition: that is exactly one short ton.
Avoirdupois ouncesMetric tonneShort ton (US)Long ton (UK)
1 oz0.000028 t0.000031 tn0.000028 long tn
8 oz0.000227 t0.00025 tn0.000223 long tn
16 oz0.000454 t0.0005 tn0.000446 long tn
32 oz0.000907 t0.001 tn0.000893 long tn
100 oz0.002835 t0.003125 tn0.00279 long tn
234 oz0.006634 t0.007313 tn0.006529 long tn
500 oz0.014175 t0.015625 tn0.013951 long tn
1,000 oz0.02835 t0.03125 tn0.027902 long tn
2,560 oz0.072575 t0.08 tn0.071429 long tn
5,000 oz0.141748 t0.15625 tn0.139509 long tn
8,000 oz0.226796 t0.25 tn0.223214 long tn
10,000 oz0.283495 t0.3125 tn0.279018 long tn
16,000 oz0.453592 t0.5 tn0.446429 long tn
22,000 oz0.62369 t0.6875 tn0.613839 long tn
25,000 oz0.708738 t0.78125 tn0.697545 long tn
26,000 oz0.737088 t0.8125 tn0.725446 long tn
32,000 oz0.907185 t1 tn0.892857 long tn
35,840 oz1.016047 t1.12 tn1 long tn
38,400 oz1.088622 t1.2 tn1.071429 long tn
48,000 oz1.360777 t1.5 tn1.339286 long tn
50,000 oz1.417476 t1.5625 tn1.395089 long tn
60,000 oz1.700971 t1.875 tn1.674107 long tn
85,000 oz2.409709 t2.65625 tn2.371652 long tn
100,000 oz2.834952 t3.125 tn2.790179 long tn
250,000 oz7.087381 t7.8125 tn6.975446 long tn
500,000 oz14.174762 t15.625 tn13.950893 long tn
1,000,000 oz28.349523 t31.25 tn27.901786 long tn
2,500,000 oz70.873808 t78.125 tn69.754464 long tn
5,000,000 oz141.747616 t156.25 tn139.508929 long tn
10,000,000 oz283.495231 t312.5 tn279.017857 long tn
32,000,000 oz907.18474 t1,000 tn892.857143 long tn
50,000,000 oz1,417.476156 t1,562.5 tn1,395.089286 long tn
100,000,000 oz2,834.952313 t3,125 tn2,790.178571 long tn
Working from tons instead? Open the tons to ounces converter.

How many tons are in millions of troy ounces?

The scale mining reports and central bank statements work at. The metric tonne column matches European reporting and the short ton column matches American reporting.
Millions of troy ouncesMetric tonneShort ton (US)
0.5 M oz t15.55 t17.14 tn
1 M oz t31.1 t34.29 tn
2.5 M oz t77.76 t85.71 tn
3.3 M oz t102.64 t113.14 tn
5 M oz t155.52 t171.43 tn
7.8 M oz t242.61 t267.43 tn
10 M oz t311.03 t342.86 tn
12 M oz t373.24 t411.43 tn
20 M oz t622.07 t685.71 tn
30 M oz t933.1 t1,028.57 tn
40 M oz t1,244.14 t1,371.43 tn
50 M oz t1,555.17 t1,714.29 tn
100 M oz t3,110.35 t3,428.57 tn
147.3 M oz t4,581.54 t5,050.29 tn
150 M oz t4,665.52 t5,142.86 tn
200 M oz t6,220.7 t6,857.14 tn
261.5 M oz t8,133.56 t8,965.71 tn
500 M oz t15,551.74 t17,142.86 tn
800 M oz t24,882.78 t27,428.57 tn
1,000 M oz t31,103.48 t34,285.71 tn
The 147.3 million row matches the gold held at Fort Knox and the 261.5 million row the whole US Treasury holding[4].

Two ounces and three tons — what each one weighs

One side of the field holds a unit with two values and the other a unit with three. The table gives each of them with the place it is used.
UnitSymbolMassWhere it is used
Avoirdupois ounceoz28.349523125 gFood packaging, postal tariffs, sports equipment
Troy ounceoz t31.1034768 gGold, silver, platinum and palladium on exchanges and at mints
Short tontn907.18474 kgThe United States and Canada, where the bare word ton means this
Long tonlong tn1,016.0469088 kgShip displacement and bulk goods, and older British trade
Metric tonnet1,000 kgEurope, shipping manifests and mining reports
A troy ounce holds 480 grains and an avoirdupois ounce 437.5 grains; a grain weighs 64.79891 milligrams[1]. For the grain itself, open the grains to grams converter.

Which number formats does this converter handle?

Paste the number the way you have it: with a comma, with a point, with a space between thousands, as a fraction or next to a unit symbol. The field reads every one of these formats and converts it for you, and the table shows exactly what it does with each. The converter computed the results itself.
What you typeWhat the converter showsHow we read it
5000.50.141762 tThe decimal point from the numeric keypad, written the way English writes it
5000,50.141762 tA comma pasted from a market that writes decimals that way is read as a decimal point, so the result is the same
1,5000.042524 tThree 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.
5 0000.141748 tA space between thousands, the way a spreadsheet pastes it, does not split the number in two
3/40.00002126 tWe work the fraction out ourselves, so there is no need to turn it into a decimal first
800½0.022694 tThe ½ character copied from a recipe or a label is added to the number in front of it
5000.5 oz0.141762 tA unit symbol pasted along with the number is no trouble: we take the number and leave the symbol out

How do you convert ounces to tons?

The steps run from the figure in the document to the answer in tons.

  1. Check which ounce the figure uses

    A gold, silver, platinum or palladium report gives troy ounces, often abbreviated oz t or ozt. A price list, a product label and a postal tariff give avoirdupois ounces, abbreviated oz.

  2. Set it with the Ounce type switch

    The switch sits under the fields and offers Avoirdupois (oz) and Troy (oz t). The line below it gives both ounces in grams, so the choice is visible before any value is typed.

  3. Pick the ton with the Ton type switch

    Short, US (tn) matches American paperwork. Metric (t) matches European and mining reporting. Long, UK (long tn) matches ship displacement and older British documents.

  4. Type the number of ounces and read the tons

    The result appears as you type. For reserve figures enter the full number, such as 147341858, and the result field gives tons to up to six decimal places. Copy result puts the bare number on the clipboard.

Convert other units to Tons (tn)

lbs to tonskilograms to tonsgrams to tons

Convert Ounces (oz) to other units

oz to lboz to goz to mgounces to kilograms

Sources

  1. Handbook 44 – 2026, Appendix C. General Tables of Units of Measurement — National Institute of Standards and Technology
  2. Tonne — Wikipedia
  3. The International System of Units (SI), NIST SP 330, section 4 — units accepted for use with the SI — National Institute of Standards and Technology
  4. U.S. Treasury-Owned Gold — Status Report of U.S. Government Gold Reserve — Bureau of the Fiscal Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury
  5. CONVERT function — Microsoft

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 ounces and tons

How many tons is 32,000 ounces?

Thirty-two thousand avoirdupois ounces make exactly one short ton, which is 0.907185 of a metric tonne. In long tons it comes to 0.892857.

How many tons is a million troy ounces?

One million troy ounces come to 31.1 metric tonnes, or 34.29 short tons. Ten million make 311.03 tonnes and a hundred million 3,110.35 tonnes.

How many tons is 147.3 million ounces?

One hundred and forty-seven point three million troy ounces come to 4,581.54 metric tonnes. That is the rounded gold holding at Fort Knox, which the Treasury states precisely as 147,341,858.382 ounces, or 4,582.84 tonnes[4].

How many tons is 48,000 ounces?

Forty-eight thousand avoirdupois ounces come to 1.360777 metric tonnes, which is exactly one and a half short tons.

How many tons is 16 ounces?

Sixteen avoirdupois ounces make one pound, which is 0.000454 of a metric tonne. Half a metric tonne takes 17,636.98 ounces.

Does the troy ounce give a different answer in tons?

Yes. A troy ounce weighs 31.1034768 grams against 28.349523125 for the avoirdupois ounce[1], so the same count of troy ounces lands just under ten percent higher. The Ounce type switch sets which one the converter uses.

How many ounces make one metric tonne?

It takes 35,273.96 avoirdupois ounces or 32,150.75 troy ounces. The difference comes from the ounce itself, since the tonne stays 1,000 kilograms either way.

How is a small number of ounces shown in tons?

The result field gives up to six decimal places and adds more for smaller numbers, so the result does not round down to zero. A single avoirdupois ounce reads 0.00002835 tonnes. At that scale grams or kilograms are easier to work with.

Why is the abbreviation for the short ton tn?

NIST set it: since 1 January 2014, tn is the required abbreviation for the short ton on weighing devices[1]. Devices built between 2008 and the end of 2013 may still carry another abbreviation.

How do you convert ounces to tons in a spreadsheet?

Excel does it with CONVERT, written CONVERT(number, from_unit, to_unit). The avoirdupois ounce is "ozm" and the short ton is "ton", so CONVERT(32000,"ozm","ton") returns 1[5]. For the metric tonne use the megagram: CONVERT(1000,"ozm","Mg") gives 0.028349523[5].

Arteon free tool screenshot: Convert ounces to tons

Any questions or suggestions?

Write to us if the converter is missing a unit you need, or if any figure here looks out of date.