About this tool
The BTU ⇄ Tons of Cooling Converter is a free, in-browser HVAC tool that converts a cooling capacity between the three units the trade uses: BTU per hour, tons of refrigeration, and kilowatts. It rests on the exact HVAC definition that one ton of refrigeration equals 12,000 BTU/hr — historically the heat absorbed by melting one short ton of ice over 24 hours — so tons = BTU/hr ÷ 12,000 and BTU/hr = tons × 12,000.
Everything is computed locally in your browser, so nothing you enter is sent to a server. Enter any one value and pick its unit, and the tool instantly reports all three equivalents. The kilowatt conversion uses 1 kW = 3,412.142 BTU/hr, which also gives the convenient relation of about 3.517 kW per ton of cooling (12,000 ÷ 3,412.142).
Below the result a reference table lists the common residential and light-commercial sizes — 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4 and 5 tons — with their BTU/hr and kW equivalents, so you can match a nameplate rating to a tonnage at a glance. This is a pure unit conversion distinct from a heating-load estimate: it tells you how a stated capacity translates between units, not what size system a building needs.