TNT equivalent
Class of units of measurement for explosive energy / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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TNT equivalent is a convention for expressing energy, typically used to describe the energy released in an explosion. The ton of TNT is a unit of energy defined by convention to be 4.184 gigajoules (1 gigacalorie),[1] which is the approximate energy released in the detonation of a metric ton (1,000 kilograms) of TNT. In other words, for each gram of TNT exploded, 4.184 kilojoules (or 4,184 joules) of energy are released.
| TNT equivalent | |
|---|---|
 The explosion from a 14-kiloton nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site, in 1951 | |
| General information | |
| Unit system | Non-standard |
| Unit of | Energy |
| Symbol | t, ton of TNT |
| Conversions | |
| 1 t in ... | ... is equal to ... |
| SI base units | ≈ 4.184 gigajoules |
| CGS | 109 calories |
This convention intends to compare the destructiveness of an event with that of conventional explosive materials, of which TNT is a typical example, although other conventional explosives such as dynamite contain more energy.
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