Tons-force (short) to Kilonewtons (tonf (US) to kN)

1 ton-force (short) equals 8.896443231 kilonewtons (rounded).

How to convert tons-force (short) to kilonewtons

To convert tons-force (short) to kilonewtons, multiply the number of tons-force (short) by 8.896443231. The factor is rounded to 10 significant digits. To go the other way, multiply kilonewtons by 0.1124044715 (rounded).

kilonewtons = tons-force (short) × 8.896443231

Example: 10 tons-force (short) = 88.96443231 kilonewtons.

About these units

Ton-force (short) (tonf (US))

US customaryTraditional unit (still used in some regions)

2,000 pounds-force (8.896 kN), the weight of a short ton.

A ton-force turns a ton of mass into the force it exerts under standard gravity, and the short ton-force is the American version. It equals 2,000 pounds-force, or 8.896443 kilonewtons, which is also about 907.18 kilogram-force. The word ton is ambiguous, so the short qualifier separates it from its neighbors.

Two relatives share the name. The long ton-force, based on the 2,240 pound British ton, is 9.964 kilonewtons, and the metric tonne-force, equal to 1,000 kilogram-force, is 9.80665 kilonewtons. A short ton-force is therefore about 0.893 of a long ton-force and about 0.907 of a tonne-force.

All three use the standard gravity of 9.80665 meters per second squared, so none depends on the place where a load is weighed. American engineers meet the unit in press ratings, crane and hoist capacities and structural loads, and it is one kip doubled. SI documents give the same figures in kilonewtons.

1 ton-force (short) = 8,896.443231 newtons (approximately).

Sources: Wikipedia: Ton-force; Wikipedia: Short ton; Wikipedia: Pound (force)

Kilonewton (kN)

Metric (SI)Current unit

1,000 newtons. Used for structural loads, climbing gear ratings and engine thrust.

Kilonewtons exist because the newton is small. The prefix kilo- dates to the 1795 French decimal system and means one thousand, and attaching it to the newton, which the CGPM named in 1948, gives a unit sized for the loads that engineers actually handle. A kilonewton is 1,000 newtons.

One kilonewton is the weight of roughly 102 kilograms at standard gravity, or about 510 of the 200-gram apples that make a handy picture of a single newton. Structural engineers quote building and bridge loads this way, and rocket and jet engine makers quote thrust in kilonewtons and meganewtons. Each Space Shuttle solid rocket booster produced 3,300,000 pounds-force, or 14.7 meganewtons, which is 14,700 kilonewtons. Strengths of ropes, anchors and climbing hardware are also commonly given in the unit.

1 kilonewton = 1,000 newtons (exactly).

Sources: Wikipedia: Newton (unit); Wikipedia: Metric prefix; Wikipedia: Pound (force)

Related conversions

See all force units.