How many BTUs does a ton of nominal cooling roughly equal?

A ton of nominal cooling is defined as the capacity to remove heat at a rate equivalent to melting a ton of ice in a 24-hour period. In the HVAC industry, this is standardized to approximately 12,000 British Thermal Units (BTUs) per hour. This conversion is widely recognized and used for sizing air conditioning systems and understanding their cooling capacities.

Considering the other provided options, they reflect values that are commonly seen in HVAC discussions, but they do not align with the established definition of a ton of cooling. For instance, 6,000 BTUs is often associated with half a ton of cooling, while 9,000 BTUs would relate to three-quarters of a ton. Conversely, 15,000 BTUs exceeds the standard ton measurement.