tons

Example:A thousand tons of coal was what the power plant required monthly to stay operational.

Definition:In some contexts, a ton can be roughly equated with a thousand units of a smaller measure (often used in contexts like coal or iron).

Example:Historically, merchants would measure their cargo in san or sand, though the ton is now standard.

Definition:An obsolete measure for weight, particularly in unconfined loads and in dry measure; equal to 20 hundredweight, or 2,240 pounds in the UK.