Convert pound to ton (metric)

What is a pound?

A pound is an option for mass measurement that is known for centuries. The name itself has a Latin origin and means weight, bell or mass. The bell that was utilized determined the exact value of this option and therefore, in different countries and regions, pounds were different in meaning and range from 320 to 560 grams.

Even with such confusion, pounds were used as a standard option in many countries from 1747 to 1918. Later, they were replaced by grams and kilograms, for which the precise definition was determined.

Still, modern English-speaking countries often stick to pounds or lbs even nowadays. In this case, a pound is referred to as a unit equal to approximately 0.45 kg. European countries also have a metric pound that is taken as nearly 0.5 kg. This makes calculations and understanding easier but the resulting values are always not precise.

What is a ton?

In the 18th and 19th centuries, scientists developed many units for various measurements and, especially, mass was given great attention. That happened because each country and region utilized their own options and that often led to conclusions.

Thus, grams were proposed at first as a standard. They were lately replaced by kilos. At the end of the 19th century, a tonne or ton was introduced as an option equal to 1000 kilograms. It is not utilized as a standard one but is widely used in manufacturing.

It is also called ton (metric) due to the presence of so-called short tons in the USA and long tons in Great Britain. These kinds of tons possess different values. Namely, a British long ton corresponds to approximately 1016 kg, while the American short ton is equal to nearly 907 kg.

As for the usual option, one kilo is considered strictly as 1/1000 of a ton.