TNT equivalent - wikipedia TNT equivalent `` Kiloton '' redirects here. For the similarly named weight measurements, see Tonne. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2013 ) Diagram of explosive yield vs mushroom cloud height, illustrating the difference between 22 kiloton Fat Man and 15 megaton Castle Bravo explosions TNT equivalent is a convention for expressing energy, typically used to describe the energy released in an explosion. The `` ton of TNT '' is a unit of energy defined by that convention to be 4.184 gigajoules, which is the approximate energy released in the detonation of a metric ton ( 1,000 kilograms or one megagram ) of TNT. In other words, for each gram of TNT exploded, 4,184 joules of energy are released. This convention intends to compare the destructiveness of an event with that of traditional explosive materials, of which TNT is a typical example, although other conventional explosives such as dynamite contain more energy. Contents 1 Kiloton and megaton 2 Historical derivation of the value 3 Conversion to other units 4 Examples 5 Relative effectiveness factor 5.1 RE factor examples 5.2 Nuclear examples 6 See also 7 References Kiloton and megaton The `` kiloton ( of TNT ) '' is a unit of energy equal to 4.184 tera joules. The `` megaton ( of TNT ) '' is a unit of energy equal to 4.184 peta joules. The kiloton and megaton of TNT have traditionally been used to describe the energy output, and hence the destructive power, of a nuclear weapon. The TNT equivalent appears in various nuclear weapon control treaties, and has been used to characterize the energy released in such other highly destructive events as an asteroid impact. Historical derivation of the value A gram of TNT releases 2673 -- 6702 J ( joules ) upon explosion. The energy liberated by one gram of TNT was arbitrarily defined as a matter of convention to be 4184 J, which is exactly one kilocalorie. An explosive 's energy is normally expressed as the thermodynamic work produced by its detonation, which for TNT has been accurately measured as 4686 J / g from a large sample of air blast experiments, and theoretically calculated to be 4853 J / g. The measured, pure heat output of a gram of TNT is only 2724 J, but this is not the important value for explosive blast effect calculations. Alternative TNT equivalency can be calculated as a function of when in the detonation the value is measured and which property is being compared. A kiloton of TNT can be visualized as a cube of TNT 8.46 metres ( 27.8 ft ) on a side. Grams TNT Symbol Tons TNT Symbol Energy ( Joules ) Energy ( Wh ) Corresponding mass loss gram of TNT g microton of TNT μt 4.184 × 10 J or 4.184 kilojoules 1.163 Wh 46.55 pg kilogram of TNT kg milliton of TNT mt 4.184 × 10 J or 4.184 megajoules 1.163 kWh 46.55 ng megagram of TNT Mg ton of TNT 4.184 × 10 J or 4.184 gigajoules 1.163 MWh 46.55 μg gigagram of TNT Gg kiloton of TNT kt 4.184 × 10 J or 4.184 terajoules 1.163 GWh 46.55 mg teragram of TNT Tg megaton of TNT Mt 4.184 × 10 J or 4.184 petajoules 1.163 TWh 46.55 g petagram of TNT Pg gigaton of TNT Gt 4.184 × 10 J or 4.184 exajoules 1.163 PWh 46.55 kg Conversion to other units 1 ton TNT equivalent is approximately : 1.0 × 10 calories 4.184 × 10 joules 3.96831 × 10 British thermal units 3.08802 × 10 foot pounds 1.162 × 10 kilowatt hours Examples Further information : Orders of magnitude ( energy ) Megatons of TNT Energy ( Wh ) Description 6988100000000000000 ♠ 1 × 10 ( i.e. 1 gram of TNT ) 1.162 Wh ≈ 1 food Calorie ( large calorie ), which is the approximate amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius at a pressure of one atmosphere. 6991100000000000000 ♠ 1 × 10 ( i.e. 1 kilogram of TNT ) 1.162 kWh Under controlled conditions one kilogram of TNT can destroy ( or even obliterate ) a small vehicle. 6992100000000000000 ♠ 1 × 10 11.62 kWh The approximate radiant heat energy released during 3 - phase, 600 V, 100 kA arcing fault in a 0.5 m × 0.5 m × 0.5 m ( 20 in × 20 in × 20 in ) compartment within a 1 - second period. 6992120000000000000 ♠ 1.2 × 10 13.94 kWh Amount of TNT used ( 12 kg ) in Coptic church explosion in Cairo, Egypt on December 11, 2016 that left 25 dead 6994100000000000000 ♠ 1 × 10 ( i.e. 1 ton of TNT ) -- 6995440000000000000 ♠ 44 × 10 1.16 -- 51.14 MWh Conventional bombs yield from less than one ton to FOAB 's 44 tons. The yield of a Tomahawk cruise missile is equivalent to 500 kg of TNT, or approximately 0.5 tons. 6994189999999999999 ♠ 1.9 × 10 2.90 MWh The television show MythBusters used 2.5 tons of ANFO to make `` homemade '' diamonds. 6996500000000000000 ♠ 5 × 10 581 MWh A real 0.5 - kilotonne - of - TNT ( 2.1 TJ ) charge at Operation Sailor Hat. If the charge were a full sphere, it would be 1 kilotonne of TNT ( 4.2 TJ ). 500 tons of TNT ( 5 by 10 m ( 17 by 34 ft ) ) awaiting detonation at Operation Sailor Hat. 6997100000000000000 ♠ 1 × 10 ( 1 kiloton of TNT ) -- 6997200000000000000 ♠ 2 × 10 1.16 -- 2.32 GWh Estimated yield of the Oppau explosion that killed more than 500 at a German fertilizer factory in 1921. 6997230000000000000 ♠ 2.3 × 10 2.67 GWh Amount of solar energy falling on 4,000 m ( 1 acre ) of land in a year is 9.5 TJ ( 2,650 MWh ) ( an average over the Earth 's surface ). 6997300000000000000 ♠ 3 × 10 3.49 GWh The Halifax Explosion in 1917 was the accidental detonation of 3,000 tons of TNT. 6997400000000000000 ♠ 4 × 10 9.3 GWh Minor Scale, a 1985 United States conventional explosion, using 4,744 tons of ANFO explosive to provide a scaled equivalent airblast of an eight kiloton ( 33.44 TJ ) nuclear device, is believed to be the largest planned detonation of conventional explosives in history. 6998150000000000000 ♠ 1.5 × 10 -- 6998200000000000000 ♠ 2 × 10 17.4 -- 23.2 GWh The Little Boy atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, exploded with an energy of about 15 kilotons of TNT ( 63 TJ ), and the Fat Man atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, exploded with an energy of about 20 kilotons of TNT ( 84 TJ ). The modern nuclear weapons in the United States arsenal range in yield from 0.3 kt ( 1.3 TJ ) to 1.2 Mt ( 5.0 PJ ) equivalent, for the B83 strategic bomb. 1.16 TWh The energy contained in one megaton of TNT ( 4.2 PJ ) is enough to power the average American household for 103,000 years. The 30 Mt ( 130 PJ ) estimated upper limit blast power of the Tunguska event could power the same average home for more than 3,100,000 years. The energy of that blast could power the entire United States for 3.27 days. 3.5 TWh The total energy of all explosives used in World War II, including the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atom bombs, is estimated to have been three megatons of TNT. 8.6 10 TWh The energy released by a typical tropical cyclone in one minute, primarily from water condensation. Winds constitute 0.25 % of that energy. 21.5 25 TWh The complete conversion of 1 kg of matter into pure energy would yield the theoretical maximum ( E = mc ) of 89.8 petajoules, which is equivalent to 21.5 megatons of TNT. No such method of total conversion as combining 500 grams of matter with 500 grams of antimatter has yet been achieved. In the event of proton -- antiproton annihilation, approximately 50 % of the released energy will escape in the form of neutrinos, which are almost undetectable. Electron -- positron annihilation events emit their energy entirely as gamma rays. 24 28 TWh Approximate total yield of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. 25, 50, 100 29 TWh, 58 TWh, 116 TWh During the Cold War, the United States developed hydrogen bombs with maximum theoretical yields of 25 megatons of TNT ( 100 PJ ). The Soviet Union developed a prototype weapon, nicknamed the Tsar Bomba, which was tested at 50 Mt ( 210 PJ ), but had a maximum theoretical yield of 100 Mt ( 420 PJ ). The effective destructive potential of such a weapon varies greatly, depending on such conditions as the altitude at which it is detonated, the characteristics of the target, the terrain, and the physical landscape upon which it is detonated. 26.3 30.6 TWh Megathrust earthquakes 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake released record M surface rupture energy, or potential for damage at 26.3 megatons of TNT ( 110 PJ ). 200 232 TWh The total energy released by the eruption of Mt. Krakatoa in Indonesia in 1883. 540 628 TWh The total energy produced worldwide by all nuclear testing and combat combined, from the 1940s till now is about 540 megatons. 1,460 1.69 PWh The total global nuclear arsenal is about 15,000 nuclear warheads with a destructive capacity of around 1460 megatons or 1.460 gigatons ( 1,460 million tons ) of TNT. 62,500 73 PWh The total solar energy received by Earth per minute is 440 exajoules. 875,000 1,000 PWh Approximate yield of the last eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. 6,000,000 = 7006600000000000000 ♠ 6 × 10 6,973 PWh The estimated energy at impact when the largest fragment of Comet Shoemaker -- Levy 9 struck Jupiter is equivalent to 6 million megatons ( 6 trillion tons ) of TNT. 7006932000000000000 ♠ 9.32 × 10 10,831 PWh The energy released in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami was over 200,000 times the surface energy and was calculated by the USGS at 7022390000000000000 ♠ 3.9 × 10 joules, slightly less than the 2004 Indian Ocean quake. This is equivalent to 9,320 gigatons of TNT, or approximately 600 million times the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. 7006956000000000000 ♠ 9.56 × 10 11,110 PWh Megathrust earthquakes record huge M values, or total energy released. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake released 9,560 gigatons TNT equivalent. 7008100000000000000 ♠ 1 × 10 116,222 PWh The approximate energy released when the Chicxulub impact caused the mass extinction 66 million years ago was estimated to be equal to 100 teratons ( i.e. 100 exagrams or approximately 220.462 quadrillion pounds ) of TNT. That is roughly 8 billion times stronger than each of the bombs that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the most energetic event on the history of Earth for hundreds of millions of years, far more powerful than any volcanic eruption, earthquake or firestorm. Such an explosion annihilated everything within a thousand miles of the impact in a split second. Such energy is equivalent to that needed to power the whole Earth for several centuries. 7015597200000000000 ♠ 5.972 × 10 6.94 × 10 Wh The explosive energy of a quantity of TNT the mass of Earth. 7015789000000000000 ♠ 7.89 × 10 9.17 × 10 Wh Total solar output in all directions per day. 7021198000000000000 ♠ 1.98 × 10 2.3 × 10 Wh The explosive energy of a quantity of TNT the mass of the Sun. 7028239999999999999 ♠ 2.4 × 10 -- 7028479999999999999 ♠ 4.8 × 10 2.8 -- 5.6 × 10 Wh A type 1a supernova explosion gives off 1 -- 7044200000000000000 ♠ 2 × 10 joules of energy, which is about 2.4 to 4.8 hundred billion yottatons ( 24 to 48 octillion ( 2.4 -- 7028479999999999999 ♠ 4.8 × 10 ) megatons ) of TNT, equivalent to the explosive force of a quantity of TNT over a trillion ( 10 ) times the mass of the planet Earth. 7030240000000000000 ♠ 2.4 × 10 -- 7030480000000000000 ♠ 4.8 × 10 2.8 -- 7042560000000000000 ♠ 5.6 × 10 Wh The largest type of supernova observed, gamma - ray bursts ( GRBs ) release more than 10 joules of energy. 7032130000000000000 ♠ 1.3 × 10 7044150000000000000 ♠ 1.5 × 10 Wh A merger of two black holes, first observation of gravitational waves, released 7047530000000000000 ♠ 5.3 × 10 joules Relative effectiveness factor The relative effectiveness factor ( RE factor ) relates an explosive 's demolition power to that of TNT, in units of the TNT equivalent / kg ( TNTe / kg ). The RE factor is the relative mass of TNT to which an explosive is equivalent : The greater the RE, the more powerful the explosive. This enables engineers to determine the proper masses of different explosives when applying blasting formulas developed specifically for TNT. For example, if a timber - cutting formula calls for a charge of 1 kg of TNT, then based on octanitrocubane 's RE factor of 2.38, it would take only 1.0 / 2.38 ( or 0.42 ) kg of it to do the same job. Using PETN, engineers would need 1.0 / 1.66 ( or 0.60 ) kg to obtain the same effects as 1 kg of TNT. With ANFO or ammonium nitrate, they would require 1.0 / 0.74 ( or 1.35 ) kg or 1.0 / 0.42 ( or 2.38 ) kg, respectively. RE factor examples Some RE factor examples Explosive, grade Density ( g / ml ) Detonation vel. ( m / s ) R.E. Ammonium nitrate ( AN + < 0.5 % H O ) 0.88 2700 0.42 Black powder ( 75 % KNO + 19 % C + 6 % S, ancient explosives ) 1.65 600 0.50 Mercury ( II ) fulminate 4.42 4250 0.51 Tanerit Simply ( 93 % granulated AN + 6 % red P + 1 % C ) 0.90 2750 0.55 Hexamine dinitrate ( HDN ) 1.30 5070 0.60 Dinitrobenzene ( DNB ) 1.50 6025 0.60 HMTD ( hexamine peroxide ) 0.88 4520 0.74 ANFO ( 94 % AN + 6 % fuel oil ) 0.92 5270 0.74 TATP ( acetone peroxide ) 1.18 5300 0.80 Tovex Extra ( AN water gel ) commercial product 1.33 5690 0.80 Hydromite 600 ( AN water emulsion ) commercial product 1.24 5550 0.80 ANNMAL ( 66 % AN + 25 % NM + 5 % Al + 3 % C + 1 % TETA ) 1.16 5360 0.87 Amatol ( 50 % TNT + 50 % AN ) 1.50 6290 0.91 Nitroguanidine 1.32 6750 0.95 Trinitrotoluene ( TNT ) 1.60 6900 1.00 Hexanitrostilbene ( HNS ) 1.70 7080 1.05 Nitrourea 1.45 6860 1.05 Tritonal ( 80 % TNT + 20 % aluminium ) * 1.70 6650 1.05 Amatol ( 80 % TNT + 20 % AN ) 1.55 6570 1.10 Nitrocellulose ( 13.5 % N, NC ; AKA guncotton ) 1.40 6400 1.10 Nitromethane ( NM ) 1.13 6360 1.10 PBXW - 126 ( 22 % NTO, 20 % RDX, 20 % AP, 26 % Al, 12 % PU 's system ) * 1.80 6450 1.10 Diethylene glycol dinitrate ( DEGDN ) 1.38 6610 1.17 PBXIH - 135 EB ( 42 % HMX, 33 % Al, 25 % PCP - TMETN 's system ) * 1.81 7060 1.17 PBXN - 109 ( 64 % RDX, 20 % Al, 16 % HTPB 's system ) * 1.68 7450 1.17 Triaminotrinitrobenzene ( TATB ) 1.80 7550 1.17 Picric acid ( TNP ) 1.71 7350 1.17 Trinitrobenzene ( TNB ) 1.60 7300 1.20 Tetrytol ( 70 % tetryl + 30 % TNT ) 1.60 7370 1.20 Dynamite, Nobel 's ( 75 % NG + 23 % diatomite ) 1.48 7200 1.25 Tetryl 1.71 7770 1.25 Torpex ( aka HBX, 41 % RDX + 40 % TNT + 18 % Al + 1 % wax ) * 1.80 7440 1.30 Composition B ( 63 % RDX + 36 % TNT + 1 % wax ) 1.72 7840 1.33 Composition C - 3 ( 78 % RDX ) 1.60 7630 1.33 Composition C - 4 ( 91 % RDX ) 1.59 8040 1.34 Pentolite ( 56 % PETN + 44 % TNT ) 1.66 7520 1.33 Semtex 1A ( 76 % PETN + 6 % RDX ) 1.55 7670 1.35 Hexal ( 76 % RDX + 20 % Al + 4 % wax ) * 1.79 7640 1.35 RISAL P ( 50 % IPN + 28 % RDX + 15 % Al + 4 % Mg + 1 % Zr + 2 % NC ) * 1.39 5980 1.40 Hydrazine mononitrate 1.59 8500 1.42 Mixture : 24 % nitrobenzene + 76 % TNM 1.48 8060 1.50 Mixture : 30 % nitrobenzene + 70 % nitrogen tetroxide 1.39 8290 1.50 Nitroglycerin ( NG ) 1.59 8100 1.54 Octol ( 80 % HMX + 19 % TNT + 1 % DNT ) 1.83 8690 1.54 Nitrotriazolon ( NTO ) 1.87 8120 1.60 DADNE ( 1, 1 - diamino - 2, 2 - dinitroethene, FOX - 7 ) 1.77 8330 1.60 Gelignite ( 92 % NG + 7 % nitrocellulose ) 1.60 7970 1.60 Plastics Gel ® ( in toothpaste tube : 45 % PETN + 45 % NG + 5 % DEGDN + 4 % NC ) 1.51 7940 1.60 Composition A-5 ( 98 % RDX + 2 % stearic acid ) 1.65 8470 1.60 Erythritol tetranitrate ( ETN ) 1.72 8100 1.60 Hexogen ( RDX ) 1.78 8700 1.60 PBXW - 11 ( 96 % HMX, 1 % HyTemp, 3 % DOA ) 1.81 8720 1.60 Penthrite ( PETN ) 1.71 8400 1.66 Ethylene glycol dinitrate ( EGDN ) 1.49 8300 1.66 TNAZ ( trinitroazetidine ) 1.85 8640 1.70 Octogen ( HMX grade B) 1.86 9100 1.70 HNIW ( CL - 20 ) 1.97 9380 1.80 Hexanitrobenzene ( HNB ) 1.97 9400 1.85 MEDINA ( Methylene dinitroamine ) 1.65 8700 1.93 DDF ( 4, 4 ' - Dinitro - 3, 3 ' - diazenofuroxan ) 1.98 10000 1.95 Heptanitrocubane ( HNC ) 1.92 9200 N / A Octanitrocubane ( ONC ) 1.95 10600 2.38 * : TBX ( thermobaric explosives ) or EBX ( enhanced blast explosives ), in a small, confined space, may have over twice the power of destruction. The total power of aluminized mixtures strictly depends on the condition of explosions. Nuclear examples Nuclear weapons and the most powerful non-nuclear weapon examples Weapon Total yield ( kilotons of TNT ) Weight ( kg ) R.E. ~ Davy Crockett ( nuclear device ) 0.022 23 1,000 Fat Man ( dropped on Nagasaki ) A-bomb 20 4600 4,500 Classic ( one - stage ) fission A-bomb 22 420 50,000 Hypothetical suitcase nuke 2.5 31 80,000 Typical ( two - stage ) nuclear bomb 500 -- 1000 650 -- 1120 900,000 W56 thermonuclear warhead 1,200 272 -- 308 4,960,000 W88 modern thermonuclear warhead ( MIRV ) 470 355 1,300,000 B53 nuclear bomb ( two - stage ) 9,000 4050 2,200,000 B41 nuclear bomb ( three - stage ) 25,000 4850 5,100,000 Tsar nuclear bomb ( three - stage ) 50,000 -- 56,000 26,500 2,100,000 GBU - 57 bomb ( Massive Ordnance Penetrator, MOP ) 0.0035 13,600 0.26 Grand Slam ( Earthquake bomb, M110 ) 0.0065 9,900 0.66 Bomb used in Oklahoma City ( ANFO based on racing fuel ) 0.0018 2,300 0.78 BLU - 82 ( Daisy Cutter ) 0.0075 6,800 1.10 MOAB ( non-nuclear bomb, GBU - 43 ) 0.011 9,800 1.13 FOAB ( advanced thermobaric bomb, ATBIP ) 0.044 9,100 4.83 See also Brisance Net explosive quantity Nuclear weapon yield Orders of magnitude ( energy ) Relative effectiveness factor Table of explosive detonation velocities Ton Tonne Tonne of oil equivalent, a unit of energy almost exactly 10 tonnes of TNT References Jump up ^ `` Tons ( Explosives ) to Gigajoules Conversion Calculator ''. unitconversion.org. Jump up ^ `` Joules to Megatons Conversion Calculator ''. unitconversion.org. Jump up ^ Blast effects of external explosions ( Section 4.8. Limitations of the TNT equivalent method ) Archived August 10, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Appendix B8 -- Factors for Units Listed Alphabetically ''. In NIST SI Guide 2008 Jump up ^ Cooper, Paul W. ( 1996 ). Explosives Engineering. New York : Wiley - VCH. p. 406. ISBN 0 - 471 - 18636 - 8. Jump up ^ Muller, Richard A. ( 2001 -- 2002 ). `` Chapter 1. Energy, Power, and Explosions ''. Physics for Future Presidents, a textbook. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4266 - 2459 - 9. Archived from the original on 2007 - 05 - 28. Jump up ^ Sorin Bastea, Laurence E. Fried, Kurt R. Glaesemann, W. Michael Howard, P. Clark Souers, Peter A. Vitello, Cheetah 5.0 User 's Manual, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2007. Jump up ^ Maienschein, Jon L. ( 2002 ). Estimating equivalency of explosives through a thermochemical approach ( PDF ) ( Technical report ). Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. UCRL - JC - 147683. Jump up ^ Maienschein, Jon L. ( 2002 ). Tnt equivalency of different explosives -- estimation for calculating load limits in heaf firing tanks ( Technical report ). Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. EMPE - 02 - 22. Jump up ^ Cunningham, Bruce J. ( 2001 ). C - 4 / tnt equivalency ( Technical report ). Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. EMPE - 01 - 81. Jump up ^ `` Arc blast Tri-Nitro - Toluene TNT Trotyl equivalent -- ARCAD INC ''. arcblasts.com. Jump up ^ Atassi, Basma ; Sirgany, Sarah ; Narayan, Chandrika ( December 13, 2016 ). `` Local media : Blast at Cairo cathedral kills at least 25 ''. CNN. Retrieved 5 April 2017. Jump up ^ Homer - Dixon, Thomas F ; Homer - Dixon, Thomas ( 2002 ). The Ingenuity Gap. p. 249. ISBN 978 - 0 - 375 - 71328 - 6. Jump up ^ TECH REPS INC ALBUQUERQUE NM ( 1986 ). `` Minor Scale Event, Test Execution Report ''. hdl : 100.2 / ADA269600. Jump up ^ `` Frequently Asked Questions -- Electricity ''. United States Department of Energy. 2009 - 10 - 06. Retrieved 2009 - 10 - 21. ( Calculated from 2007 value of 936 kWh monthly usage ) Jump up ^ `` Country Comparison : : Electricity -- consumption ''. The World Factbook. CIA. Archived from the original on 2012 - 01 - 28. Retrieved 2009 - 10 - 22. ( Calculated from 2007 value of 3,892,000,000,000 kWh annual usage ) Jump up ^ `` NOAA FAQ : How much energy does a hurricane release ? ''. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. August 2001. Retrieved 2009 - 06 - 30. cites 6e14 watts continuous. Jump up ^ Borowski, Stanley K. ( March 1996 ). Comparison of Fusion / Antiproton Propulsion systems ( PDF ). 23rd Joint Propulsion Conference. NASA Glenn Research Center. doi : 10.2514 / 6.1987 - 1814. hdl : 2060 / 19960020441. Jump up ^ See Currently deployed U.S. nuclear weapon yields Archived September 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine., Complete List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons Archived December 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine., Tsar Bomba Archived June 17, 2016, at the Wayback Machine., all from Carey Sublette 's Nuclear Weapon Archive. Jump up ^ `` Status of World Nuclear Forces ''. fas.org. Jump up ^ `` Nuclear Weapons : Who Has What at a Glance ''. armscontrol.org. Jump up ^ `` Global nuclear weapons : downsizing but modernizing ''. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 13 June 2016. Jump up ^ Kristensen, Hans M. ; Norris, Robert S. ( May 3, 2016 ). `` Russian nuclear forces, 2016 ''. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 72 ( 3 ) : 125 -- 134. doi : 10.1080 / 00963402.2016. 1170359 -- via Taylor and Francis + NEJM. Jump up ^ Kristensen, Hans M ; Norris, Robert S ( 2015 ). `` US nuclear forces, 2015 ''. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 71 ( 2 ) : 107. doi : 10.1177 / 0096340215571913. Jump up ^ http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/nudb/datab14.asp Jump up ^ Kristensen, Hans M ; Norris, Robert S ( 2015 ). `` Chinese nuclear forces, 2015 ''. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 71 ( 4 ) : 77. doi : 10.1177 / 0096340215591247. Jump up ^ `` USGS.gov : USGS WPhase Moment Solution ''. Earthquake.usgs.gov. Archived from the original on 13 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011. Jump up ^ Maselli, A. ; Melandri, A. ; Nava, L. ; Mundell, C.G. ; Kawai, N. ; Campana, S. ; Covino, S. ; Cummings, J.R. ; Cusumano, G. ; Evans, P.A. ; Ghirlanda, G. ; Ghisellini, G. ; Guidorzi, C. ; Kobayashi, S. ; Kuin, P. ; LaParola, V. ; Mangano, V. ; Oates, S. ; Sakamoto, T. ; Serino, M. ; Virgili, F. ; Zhang, B. - B. ; Barthelmy, S. ; Beardmore, A. ; Bernardini, M.G. ; Bersier, D. ; Burrows, D. ; Calderone, G. ; Capalbi, M. ; Chiang, J. ( 2013 ). `` GRB 130427A : A Nearby Ordinary Monster ''. Science. 343 ( 6166 ) : 48 -- 51. arXiv : 1311.5254. doi : 10.1126 / science. 1242279. PMID 24263134. Jump up ^ US Army FM 3 - 34.214 : Explosives and Demolition, 2007, page 1 -- 2. Jump up ^ Whitehall Paraindistries Thompson, A. ; Taylor, B.N. ( July 2008 ). Guide for the Use of the International System of Units ( SI ). NIST Special Publication. 811. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Version 3.2. Nuclear Weapons FAQ Part 1.3 Rhodes, Richard ( 2012 ). The Making of the Atomic Bomb ( 25th Anniversary ed. ). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4516 - 7761 - 4. Cooper, Paul W. ( 1996 ), Explosives Engineering, New York : Wiley - VCH, ISBN 0 - 471 - 18636 - 8 HQ Department of the Army ( 2004 ) ( 1967 ), Field Manual 5 - 25 : Explosives and Demolitions, Washington, D.C. : Pentagon Publishing, pp. 83 -- 84, ISBN 0 - 9759009 - 5 - 1 Explosives - Compositions, Alexandria, VA : GlobalSecurity.org, retrieved September 1, 2010 Urbański, Tadeusz ( 1985 ) ( 1984 ), Chemistry and Technology of Explosives, Volumes I -- IV ( second ed. ), Oxford : Pergamon Mathieu, Jörg ; Stucki, Hans ( 2004 ), `` Military High Explosives '', CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry, Schweizerische Chemische Gesellschaft, 58 ( 6 ) : 383 -- 389, doi : 10.2533 / 000942904777677669, ISSN 0009 - 4293 3. Thermobaric Explosives, Advanced Energetic Materials, 2004., The National Academies Press, nap.edu, 2004 Nuclear technology Science Chemistry Engineering Physics Atomic nucleus Fission Fusion Radiation ionizing braking Fuel Tritium Deuterium Helium - 3 Fertile material Fissile material Isotope separation Nuclear material Uranium enriched depleted Plutonium Thorium Neutron Activation Capture Poison Cross section Generator Radiation Reflector Temperature Thermal Fast Fusion Power by country Power plant Economics Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Accidents and incidents Policy Fusion Radioisotope thermoelectric ( RTG ) Propulsion rocket Safety and security Medicine Imaging RadBall Scintigraphy Single - photon emission ( SPECT ) Positron - emission tomography ( PET ) Therapy Fast - neutron Neutron capture therapy of cancer Targeted alpha - particle Proton - beam Tomotherapy Brachytherapy Radiation therapy Radiosurgery Radiopharmacology Weapons Topics Arms race Delivery Design Disarmament Ethics Explosion effects History Proliferation Testing high - altitude underground Warfare Yield TNTe Lists Estimated death tolls from attacks States with nuclear weapons Tests United States WMD treaties Weapon - free zones Weapons Waste Products Actinide Reprocessed uranium Reactor - grade plutonium Minor actinide Activation Fission LLFP Actinide chemistry Disposal Fuel cycle High - level ( HLW ) Low - level ( LLW ) Repository Reprocessing Spent fuel pool cask Transmutation Debate Nuclear power Nuclear weapons Blue Ribbon Commission on America 's Nuclear Future Anti-nuclear movement Uranium mining Nuclear power phase - out Nuclear reactors Fission Moderator Light water Aqueous homogeneous Boiling BWR ABWR ESBWR Kerena Pressurized ACPR - 1000 AP1000 APR - 1400 APR+ APWR ATMEA1 CAP1400 CPR - 1000 EPR HPR - 1000 VVER many others Supercritical ( SCWR ) Natural fission Heavy water Pressurized ( PHWR ) CANDU CANDU 6 CANDU 9 EC6 AFCR ACR - 1000 AHWR Steam - generating ( SGHWR ) WR - 1 Graphite by coolant Water RBMK EGP - 6 Gas CO Uranium Naturel Graphite Gaz ( UNGG ) Magnox Advanced gas - cooled ( AGR ) He Ultra-high - temperature experiment ( UHTREX ) Pebble - bed ( PBMR ) ( HTR - PM ) Gas - turbine modular - helium ( GTMHR ) Very - high - temperature ( VHTR ) Molten - salt Fluorides Fuji MSR Liquid - fluoride thorium reactor ( LFTR ) Molten - Salt Reactor Experiment ( MSRE ) Integral Molten Salt Reactor ( IMSR ) None ( fast - neutron ) Breeder ( FBR ) Integral ( IFR ) Liquid - metal - cooled ( LMFR ) Small sealed transportable autonomous ( SSTAR ) Traveling - wave ( TWR ) Energy Multiplier Module ( EM2 ) Reduced - moderation ( RMWR ) Fast Breeder Test Reactor ( FBTR ) Dual fluid reactor ( DFR ) Generation IV Sodium ( SFR ) BN - 600 BN - 800 BN - 1200 PFBR CEFR Lead ( LFR ) Helium gas ( GFR ) PRISM Others Organically moderated and cooled reactor Aircraft Reactor Experiment Fusion by confinement Magnetic Field - reversed configuration Levitated dipole Reversed field pinch Spheromak Stellarator Tokamak Inertial Bubble ( acoustic ) Fusor electrostatic Laser - driven Magnetized - target Z - pinch Other Dense plasma focus Migma Muon - catalyzed Polywell Pyroelectric Portal Commons Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=TNT_equivalent&oldid=841583262 '' Categories : Explosives Explosives engineering Scales Units of energy Equivalent units Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from March 2018 Articles needing additional references from April 2013 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2015 Wikipedia articles needing clarification from October 2016 Wikipedia articles needing clarification from May 2015 All articles with vague or ambiguous time Vague or ambiguous time from July 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Esperanto فارسی Français Gaeilge 한국어 Italiano עברית Қазақша മലയാളം Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Română Русский Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 22 more Edit links This page was last edited on 16 May 2018, at 18 : 30. 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Question: how many tons of tnt is a supernova
Answer: about 2.4 to 4.8 hundred billion yottatons (24 to 48 octillion (2.4–7028479999999999999♠4.8×1028) megatons) of TNT