Unit Conversion
BTU to Ton of Refrigeration Calculator
Convert between all common refrigeration capacity units. Type in any field — all others update instantly.
Refrigeration Capacity Converter
BTU/hr
MBH
MMBTU/hr
ton
kW
kcal/hr
Key relationships
1 ton = 12,000 BTU/hr1 ton = 3.517 kW1 kW = 3,412 BTU/hr1 MBH = 1,000 BTU/hr1 ton = 3,024 kcal/hr
Cold Storage Quick-Sizing Reference
Approximate BTU/hr per sq ft of floor area — use for preliminary estimates only. Actual design requires full heat load calculation.
| Application Type | Temp Range | BTU/hr·ft² | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerated produce / cooler | 34–38°F | 20–35 | High turnover, outside temp dependent |
| Meat cooler / chill room | 28–34°F | 25–40 | Includes product processing load |
| Frozen food storage | −10 to 0°F | 15–25 | Well-insulated; less infiltration |
| Ice cream storage | −20 to −10°F | 20–30 | Deep-freeze; heavy insulation required |
| Blast freezing tunnel | −30 to −20°F | 80–150 | Process load dominated |
| Ammonia machine room (heat rejection) | N/A | N/A | Size condenser for system peak load + 25% |
Common Refrigeration Load Reference
Typical system capacities by application — click a row to load values into the converter.
| Application | BTU/hr | Tons | kW | MBH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential refrigerator | 200 | 0.017 | 0.058614 | 0.200000 |
| Walk-in cooler (produce, 10×10×8) | 6,000 | 0.5 | 1.7584 | 6.0000 |
| Walk-in freezer (10×10×8) | 12,000 | 1 | 3.5169 | 12.0000 |
| Convenience store cooler | 24,000 | 2 | 7.0337 | 24.0000 |
| Small blast freezer | 60,000 | 5 | 17.5843 | 60.0000 |
| Medium distribution warehouse | 300,000 | 25 | 87.9213 | 300.0000 |
| Large cold storage facility | 600,000 | 50 | 175.8426 | 600.0000 |
| Large industrial plant (NH3) | 1,200,000 | 100 | 351.6852 | 1200.000 |
| Very large processing plant | 6,000,000 | 500 | 1758.426 | 6000.000 |