Best Answer: A short ton which is what we usually use in the US is 2000 pounds. A long ton is 2240 pounds (used in the UK). In addition, there is a metric ton which is 1000kg or 2204 pounds (about). In much of the world this is called a tonne, but in the US, it is usually called a metric ton.. The short/long is because of the different definitions in the US and UK for hundredweight. In the US a hundredweight is 100 pounds, but in the UK it is 112.