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BTU to Tons

8,000 BTU to Tons

8,000 BTU per hour equals 0.6667 refrigeration tons (rounded). That's between the 0.5 and 0.75 ton AC sizes.

Find it on the AC's label or spec sheet.

Cooling capacity

Your 8,000 BTU AC is between the 0.5 and 0.75 ton sizes.

0.6667tons

Between the 0.5 and 0.75 ton sizes. Exact: 0.67 tons.

1 ton = the cooling of melting 2,000 lb of ice per day.
Cooling kW
2.3446

1 refrigeration ton = 12,000 BTU/hr. Cooling kW is cooling capacity, not electricity use.

  • Tons = BTU/hr ÷ 12,000
  • Cooling kW = BTU/hr × 0.2930710702 ÷ 1,000
Your numbers8,000 ÷ 12,000 = 0.6667
Decimal places

Common AC ratings

Choose a capacity to fill the calculator, or open its worked example.

Worked examples:6,0009,00012,00018,00024,00036,000

How the conversion works

Divide 8,000 by 12,000 to convert the capacity.

8,000 ÷ 12,000 = 0.6667 tons

Cooling capacity: 2.3446 cooling kW. Cooling kW is not the electricity the AC uses.

Compare 8,000 with 6,000 and 9,000 BTU/hr

Compare 8,000 with 6,000 and 9,000 BTU/hr
BTU/hrTonsCooling kWSize class
6,0000.51.75840.5 ton
8,0000.66672.3446Between 0.5 and 0.75 ton
9,0000.752.63760.75 ton

Does 0.6667 tons mean it fits my space?

A refrigeration ton is a capacity unit, equal to 12,000 BTU/hr; it is not the unit's weight.

There is no universal area-to-tonnage ratio. Room conditions, building design and climate affect the required capacity.

Whole-home systems require a separate load calculation.