Convert Ton (Assay) (UK) (AT (UK)) to Kiloton (Metric) (kt) instantly.
About these units
Ton (Assay) (UK) (AT (UK))
The UK assay ton, slightly different from the US version, is defined as 32.666 grams. Like its American counterpart, it was designed so that milligram-level assay results could be easily interpreted as ounces of metal per ton of ore. In British mining operations of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the UK assay ton streamlined economic decision-making by directly correlating lab-scale measurements with bulk extraction expectations. Although now historical, its existence illustrates how different countries tailored their measurement systems to local mining economics and metal markets.
Kiloton (Metric) (kt)
A kiloton, equal to 1,000 metric tons, is used in large-scale industrial, geological, and agricultural contexts. However, the term is better known for expressing explosive yields, particularly of nuclear weapons. Scientists estimate the energy release of explosions by comparing them to the detonation of 1,000 tons of TNT. For example, the Hiroshima bomb had a yield of about 15 kilotons. Outside military contexts, kilotons appear in discussions of carbon emissions, waste production, and global resource extraction. They provide a manageable scale for describing quantities too large for tons but not yet at the megaton level.