Ton of refrigeration

A ton of refrigeration (commonly abbreviated as TR) is a unit of power used in some countries (especially in North America) to describe the heat-extraction capacity of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. It is defined as the heat of fusion absorbed by melting of pure ice at 0 °C (32 °F) in 24 hours. It is equivalent to the consumption of one ton of ice per day and originated during the transition from stored natural ice to mechanical refrigeration.

A refrigeration ton is approximately equivalent to 12,000 BTU/h or 3.517 kW. Air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment capacity in the U.S. is often specified in "tons" (of refrigeration). Many manufacturers also specify capacity in BTU/h, especially when specifying the performance of smaller equipment.

See also

• British thermal unit
• HVAC
• Joule
• Kilowatt
• Short ton
• Ton