Metric Tons (Tonnes) to Pounds Conversion (t to lb) (2025)

For example, here's how to convert 5 metric tons to pounds using the formula above.

pounds = (5 t × 2,204.622622) = 11,023.113109 lb

What Is a Metric Ton (Tonne)?

One tonne is equal to 1,000 kilograms or 2,204.6 pounds, and is used throughout the world as a unit of mass/weight.^[1] One tonne is also equal to 1 megagram. The metric ton should not be confused with short tons, used primarily in the US, or long tons, used primarily in the UK.

The metric ton is an SI accepted unit for weight for use with the metric system. A metric ton is sometimes also referred to as a tonne. Metric tons can be abbreviated as t, and are also sometimes abbreviated as T, Te, or MT. For example, 1 metric ton can be written as 1 t, 1 T, 1 Te, or 1 MT.

In the US the unit is referred to as the metric ton, while the rest of the world refers to it as the tonne. Most often it's still pronounced as tun, but it is sometimes pronounced tunny.

Learn more about metric tons.

What Is a Pound?

Pounds are a widely used unit of weight in the United States. The National Bureau of Standards approved the international definition of the pound for use in the United States in 1959 after an agreement between six nations referred to as the International Yard and Pound Agreement.^[2]

One pound is equal to 16 ounces, or 0.45359237 kilograms. In the avoirdupois or apothecaries' systems, one pound is equal to 7,000 grains.^[3]

The pound is a US customary and imperial unit of weight. A pound is sometimes also referred to as a common ounce. Pounds can be abbreviated as lb (plural lbs), and are also sometimes abbreviated as lb_m or #. For example, 1 pound can be written as 1 lb, 1 lb_m, or 1 #, and 2 pounds can be written as 2 lbs.

Learn more about pounds.