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Tonne

A tonne (t) or metric ton, also referred to as a metric tonne or tonne métrique, is a measurement of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms, or 2204.6226 pounds. It is not an SI unit but is accepted for use with the SI. The proper SI unit for a tonne would be a "megagram" (Mg, see SI prefix), but this term is rarely used in practice. Though the spelling tonne predates the introduction of the SI system in 1960 (it has been used in France for about two and a half centuries, where it comes from), it is now used as the standard spelling for the metric mass measurement in some English-speaking countries. In the United States the correct term is metric ton. The comparable imperial and US customary units are spelled ton in English.

In the U.S. this unit was defined in 1866 as a millier or a tonneau (both French words). This measure was used in Europe centuries earlier. However, neither of these latter words is in use in the U.S. and though they still appear in the statute, they have been declared obsolete by NIST.