AC Size in Tons
Estimate the air conditioner capacity a space needs.
About AC Size in Tons
A cooling load per square foot is multiplied by the area, then converted to tons assuming 12,000 BTUs per ton. A minimum half-ton step avoids undersizing. AC units come in fixed tonnage steps, so a properly sized unit removes humidity without wasteful short cycling.
Formula
AC Size in Tons
Tons = area x BTU/sq ft / 12000
- ton
- 12,000 BTUs per hour of cooling
Worked example
With the default values below, AC Size in Tons returns Cooling Load of 17,500. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Area to coolminimum 0 sq ft
- 700 sq ft
- Cooling load per sq ftminimum 0 BTU/sq ft
- 25 BTU/sq ft
Results
- Cooling Load
- 17,500 BTU/hr
- Required Tons
- 1.46 ton
- Recommended AC Size
- 2.0 ton
- Cooling Watts
- 5,128 W
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2AC Size in Tons
- 3Cooling Load= 17,500 BTU/hr
- 4Required Tons= 1.46 ton
- 5Recommended AC Size= 2.0 ton
- 6Cooling Watts= 5,128 W
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 2 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is AC Size in Tons calculated?
Tons = area x BTU/sq ft / 12000 A cooling load per square foot is multiplied by the area, then converted to tons assuming 12,000 BTUs per ton. A minimum half-ton step avoids undersizing.
Why does AC Size in Tons matter?
AC units come in fixed tonnage steps, so a properly sized unit removes humidity without wasteful short cycling.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 2 inputs: Area to cool, Cooling load per sq ft. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.