1 short ton equals how many pounds?

• A. 1,000 pounds
• B. 2,000 pounds
• C. 3,000 pounds
• D. 2,500 pounds

Answer: (B)

Short ton is defined as 2,000 pounds in the US customary system. That means 1 short ton equals 2,000 pounds. In other contexts, a long ton is 2,240 pounds and a metric ton is about 2,204.62 pounds, but the short ton specifically is 2,000 pounds. The other numbers don’t fit because they correspond to different ton definitions: 1,000 pounds is half a short ton, 3,000 pounds is one-and-a-half short tons, and 2,500 pounds is 1.25 short tons.