What is "ton of refrigeration"

n. (context US English) cooling capacity of an air conditioner or refrigerator equal to 12,000 British thermal units (Btu) per hour 200 Btu per minute and denotes the amount of heat required to melt one ton of ice in 24 hours.

A ton of refrigeration (commonly abbreviated as TR) is a unit of power used in some countries (especially in North America) to describe the heat-extraction capacity of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. It is defined as the heat of fusion absorbed by melting of pure ice at in 24 hours. It is equivalent to the consumption of one ton of ice per day and originated during the transition from stored natural ice to mechanical refrigeration.

A refrigeration ton is approximately equivalent to . Air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment capacity in the U.S. is often specified in "tons" (of refrigeration). Many manufacturers also specify capacity in BTU/ h, especially when specifying the performance of smaller equipment.