Convert Kilogram to Tonne
1 kilogram = 0.001 tonne (t). For example, 10 kilogram = 0.01 tonne and 100 kilogram = 0.1 tonne. Type any value below to convert kilogram to tonne both ways — it runs entirely in your browser.
Quick answer: Kilogram to Tonne
1 Kilogram = 0.001 Tonne (kg → t). To convert kilogram to tonne, multiply by 0.001. To convert tonne to kilogram, multiply by 1,000. The converter at the top does this instantly and both ways; the sections below give the formula, worked examples, a full conversion chart and answers to the most common kilogram-to-tonne questions.
How to convert Kilogram to Tonne
To convert kilogram to tonne, multiply the number of kilogram by the conversion factor 0.001, because 1 kg = 0.001 t. The conversion is linear, so the same factor works for any value — whole numbers, decimals or fractions. For the reverse direction, 1 t = 1,000 kg, so you divide by 0.001 (or multiply by 1,000) to turn tonne back into kilogram.
t = kg × 0.001 ·
kg = t × 1,000
- Write down the value you want to convert, in kilogram.
- Multiply it by 0.001.
- The result is the same area/length/quantity expressed in tonne.
Kilogram to Tonne — worked examples
Each row shows the exact arithmetic so you can follow the conversion step by step. For example, 5 kilogram is 0.005 tonne because 5 kg × 0.001 = 0.005 t.
| Kilogram | Calculation | Tonne |
|---|---|---|
| 1 kg | 1 kg × 0.001 = 0.001 t | 0.001 t |
| 2 kg | 2 kg × 0.001 = 0.002 t | 0.002 t |
| 3 kg | 3 kg × 0.001 = 0.003 t | 0.003 t |
| 5 kg | 5 kg × 0.001 = 0.005 t | 0.005 t |
| 7 kg | 7 kg × 0.001 = 0.007 t | 0.007 t |
| 10 kg | 10 kg × 0.001 = 0.01 t | 0.01 t |
| 12 kg | 12 kg × 0.001 = 0.012 t | 0.012 t |
| 15 kg | 15 kg × 0.001 = 0.015 t | 0.015 t |
| 20 kg | 20 kg × 0.001 = 0.02 t | 0.02 t |
| 25 kg | 25 kg × 0.001 = 0.025 t | 0.025 t |
| 50 kg | 50 kg × 0.001 = 0.05 t | 0.05 t |
| 100 kg | 100 kg × 0.001 = 0.1 t | 0.1 t |
Common Kilogram to Tonne conversions
These are the kilogram-to-tonne values people look up most often. Every figure is computed from the exact factor, so you can rely on them for quick reference:
- 1 kilogram = 0.001 tonne
- 2 kilogram = 0.002 tonne
- 2.5 kilogram = 0.0025 tonne
- 3 kilogram = 0.003 tonne
- 4 kilogram = 0.004 tonne
- 5 kilogram = 0.005 tonne
- 6 kilogram = 0.006 tonne
- 7 kilogram = 0.007 tonne
- 8 kilogram = 0.008 tonne
- 9 kilogram = 0.009 tonne
- 10 kilogram = 0.01 tonne
- 12 kilogram = 0.012 tonne
- 15 kilogram = 0.015 tonne
- 20 kilogram = 0.02 tonne
- 25 kilogram = 0.025 tonne
- 30 kilogram = 0.03 tonne
- 50 kilogram = 0.05 tonne
- 75 kilogram = 0.075 tonne
- 100 kilogram = 0.1 tonne
- 200 kilogram = 0.2 tonne
- 500 kilogram = 0.5 tonne
- 1000 kilogram = 1 tonne
Kilogram to Tonne conversion chart (both directions)
The chart below converts kilogram to tonne and tonne to kilogram side by side, so it works whichever way you need. 1 kilogram = 0.001 tonne, and 1 tonne = 1,000 kilogram.
| Kilogram → Tonne | Tonne → Kilogram |
|---|---|
| 0.25 kg = 0.00025 t | 0.25 t = 250 kg |
| 0.5 kg = 0.0005 t | 0.5 t = 500 kg |
| 1 kg = 0.001 t | 1 t = 1,000 kg |
| 2 kg = 0.002 t | 2 t = 2,000 kg |
| 3 kg = 0.003 t | 3 t = 3,000 kg |
| 4 kg = 0.004 t | 4 t = 4,000 kg |
| 5 kg = 0.005 t | 5 t = 5,000 kg |
| 6 kg = 0.006 t | 6 t = 6,000 kg |
| 7 kg = 0.007 t | 7 t = 7,000 kg |
| 8 kg = 0.008 t | 8 t = 8,000 kg |
| 9 kg = 0.009 t | 9 t = 9,000 kg |
| 10 kg = 0.01 t | 10 t = 10,000 kg |
| 12 kg = 0.012 t | 12 t = 12,000 kg |
| 15 kg = 0.015 t | 15 t = 15,000 kg |
| 20 kg = 0.02 t | 20 t = 20,000 kg |
| 25 kg = 0.025 t | 25 t = 25,000 kg |
| 30 kg = 0.03 t | 30 t = 30,000 kg |
| 40 kg = 0.04 t | 40 t = 40,000 kg |
| 50 kg = 0.05 t | 50 t = 50,000 kg |
| 75 kg = 0.075 t | 75 t = 75,000 kg |
| 100 kg = 0.1 t | 100 t = 100,000 kg |
| 150 kg = 0.15 t | 150 t = 150,000 kg |
| 200 kg = 0.2 t | 200 t = 200,000 kg |
| 250 kg = 0.25 t | 250 t = 250,000 kg |
| 500 kg = 0.5 t | 500 t = 500,000 kg |
| 1000 kg = 1 t | 1000 t = 1,000,000 kg |
Kilogram vs Tonne: which is bigger?
A tonne is the larger unit: one tonne equals 1,000 kilograms. Put another way, you need 1,000 kilograms to make a single tonne.
What is a Kilogram? History, origin and usage
The kilogram began in revolutionary France in 1795 as the mass of a litre of water at the temperature where water is densest. In 1889 that idea was replaced by a physical object: the International Prototype of the Kilogram, a platinum-iridium cylinder kept in a vault at Sèvres near Paris. For 130 years the kilogram was whatever that one lump of metal weighed. The problem was that the official copies slowly drifted apart from it by tens of micrograms, so on 20 May 2019 the definition was cut loose from the object and tied instead to a fixed value of the Planck constant.
The kilogram is the SI base unit of mass and the working weight unit for almost the whole world — shopping, medicine, freight, engineering and science. Every other unit on this page, metric or imperial, is defined by how many kilograms it equals, which is why the conversions here are exact rather than rounded.
It is the only SI base unit whose name carries a prefix built in ("kilo" + "gram"), a historical accident that means the SI prefix rules have to be applied to the gram instead. It was also the last base unit still defined by a man-made object, and the only one that could be scratched, cleaned or dropped.
What is a Tonne? History, origin and usage
The word "tonne" comes from the tun, a large medieval wine cask. When the metric system needed a bulk unit, the name was borrowed and the value made round: exactly one thousand kilograms. It was formally recognised as a unit for use with SI in 1879 and remains accepted today, even though its strictly SI name would be the megagram.
Tonnes measure freight, shipping containers, harvests, vehicle weight limits, industrial output and carbon emissions. Almost every country outside the United States means the metric tonne when it says "ton".
Nobody says "megagram", even though that is the coherent SI name for the same mass. In writing, "tonne" or "metric ton" is used to distinguish it from the American short ton and the British long ton, which are both different — and different from each other.
Convert 1 Kilogram to other units
It can help to see a kilogram next to the other units it is commonly compared with. One kilogram (kg) is equal to:
| 1 Kilogram equals | Unit |
|---|---|
| 1,000 g | Gram |
| 1,000,000 mg | Milligram |
| 1,000,000,000 µg | Microgram |
| 0.001 t | Tonne |
| 0.01 q | Quintal |
| 2.204623 lb | Pound |
| 35.27396 oz | Ounce |
| 0.157473 st | Stone |
| 0.001102311 ton (US) | Short ton |
| 0.0009842065 ton (UK) | Long ton |
| 32.15075 oz t | Troy ounce |
| 15,432.36 gr | Grain |
| 5,000 ct | Carat |
Convert 1 Tonne to other units
One tonne (t) is equal to:
| 1 Tonne equals | Unit |
|---|---|
| 1,000 kg | Kilogram |
| 1,000,000 g | Gram |
| 1,000,000,000 mg | Milligram |
| 1,000,000,000,000 µg | Microgram |
| 10 q | Quintal |
| 2,204.623 lb | Pound |
| 35,273.96 oz | Ounce |
| 157.473 st | Stone |
| 1.102311 ton (US) | Short ton |
| 0.9842065 ton (UK) | Long ton |
| 32,150.75 oz t | Troy ounce |
| 15,432,360 gr | Grain |
| 5,000,000 ct | Carat |
Tips for converting Kilogram to Tonne
- To go from kilogram to tonne, multiply by 0.001; to go back, divide by 0.001 (or multiply by 1,000).
- For a quick mental estimate, remember that 1 kilogram ≈ 0.001 tonne, so 10 kilogram ≈ 0.01 tonne.
- The converter above keeps full precision; the tables round for readability, so use the tool for exact figures.
- Both fields update live as you type — change either side to convert in that direction.
How to use this Kilogram to Tonne converter
Type a number into the Kilogram field and the equivalent in Tonne appears instantly — there is no “convert” button to press and nothing is sent to a server, so it works offline once the page has loaded and is safe for any data. You can also type into the Tonne field to convert the other way (tonne to kilogram). Use the swap control to flip the two units, and copy the result with a single click. Because the calculation runs in your browser with full floating-point precision, the converter is more exact than the rounded figures shown in the reference chart above — use the chart for quick look-ups and the tool for precise work.
Accuracy and method
Every figure on this page — the formula, the worked examples, the conversion chart and the “convert to other units” tables — is computed from a single verified conversion factor (1 kg = 0.001 t), never copied from a hand-typed lookup table that could drift. That factor is derived from each unit’s definition in terms of a common base unit, and an automated check re-verifies all of the site’s factors on every update, so the numbers here stay correct over time. This matters for kilogram-to-tonne conversions because a small rounding error in a published table compounds quickly at larger quantities; computing from the exact factor avoids that.
Sources
- BIPM — The International System of Units (SI Brochure) — the defining document for the SI, published by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. It fixes the base unit that this conversion resolves to, which is why the factor here can be exact rather than approximate.
- NIST — Definitions of the SI base units — the US National Institute of Standards and Technology reference for the SI base units, used here as an independent cross-check on the base-unit definition.
Weight factors here are exact, anchored to the kilogram: the international pound is exactly 0.45359237 kg, a stone is 14 pounds, a short ton is 2,000 pounds and a long ton is 2,240, a grain is 1/7000 of a pound and a metric carat is exactly 200 mg. So the live tool and every number on this page always agree.
Frequently asked questions
- How many tonne are in 1 kilogram?
- 1 kilogram = 0.001 tonne (t). To convert any number of kilogram to tonne, multiply by 0.001.
- How do I convert kilogram to tonne?
- Multiply the number of kilogram by 0.001. For example, 10 kilogram = 10 × 0.001 = 0.01 tonne, and 25 kilogram = 0.025 tonne.
- How many kilogram are in 1 tonne?
- 1 tonne = 1,000 kilogram. So to convert tonne back to kilogram, multiply by 1,000.
- What is the formula to convert kilogram to tonne?
- tonne = kilogram × 0.001. The reverse formula is kilogram = tonne × 1,000.
- How much is 100 kilogram in tonne?
- 100 kilogram = 0.1 tonne. (And 1000 kilogram = 1 tonne.)
- Which is bigger, a kilogram or a tonne?
- A tonne is larger: 1 tonne = 1,000 kilogram.
- Is this kilogram to tonne converter accurate?
- Yes — every value is computed from the exact 0.001 t per kg factor (not rounded look-up tables), and the factors are re-verified automatically on every update.
- Can I convert tonne to kilogram too?
- Yes. The converter works both ways — enter a value in either field. 1 tonne = 1,000 kilogram.