Trying to figure out just how much your commercial cooling project is going to cost can be a daunting task. One of the main concepts you will need to understand when planning your project is chiller tonnage, but what exactly does this term mean? In this article, we’ll explain the official business definition of chiller tonnage, so you can make sure your project is as efficient and cost-effective as possible! Chiller tonnage refers to the capacity of a cooling system to produce one ton of evaporative cooling per hour. This rating is typically measured in British Thermal Units (BTUs), with one BTU equaling the heat required to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. The higher the system’s chiller tonnage, the more cooling it produces each hour.