12000 metric tons? 12000 tons?
Are they the same weight? 1000kg =1 ton. 12,000,000 kg=12000 tons. But why is "metric tons"? Is it used world wide?

Thank you.

Question

12000 metric tons? 12000 tons?
Are they the same weight?  1000kg =1 ton. 12,000,000 kg=12000 tons. But why is "metric tons"? Is it used world wide?

Thank you.

Answer

It is to clarify that the writer is refering to Metric rather than Imperial tons. The Imperial system, of weight measured in pounds and ounces is still used in some English speaking countries for some purposes. An Imperial ton is 2400 pounds, about 1.1 Metric tons. Sometimes Metric ton is spelled tonne to avoid confusion. But as you said, a metric ton is 1000 Kg