TNT Equivalent Calculator
Calculate TNT equivalent weight and energy for different explosives
Calculate TNT Equivalent
Choose a preset to automatically fill in heat of detonation values
Heat of Detonation
Standard TNT heat of detonation: 4.184 MJ/kg
Explosive Weight
Mass of the explosive material
TNT Factor
TNT Equivalent Results
Formula: W_eq = W_exp × (H_exp / H_TNT)
Input values: 0.000 kg × 1.000 = 0.000 kg TNT
Example Calculation
C4 Explosive Example
Explosive: C4
Heat of detonation: 4.715 MJ/kg
Weight: 6.5 kg
TNT heat of detonation: 4.184 MJ/kg
Step-by-step Calculation
1. TNT Factor = H_exp / H_TNT
2. TNT Factor = 4.715 / 4.184 = 1.127
3. W_eq = W_exp × TNT Factor
4. W_eq = 6.5 × 1.127 = 7.325 kg TNT
Result: 6.5 kg of C4 is equivalent to 7.325 kg of TNT
Scale Classification
Common Explosives
Quick Facts
TNT releases 4.184 MJ/kg of energy
Only 1/3 of energy is released instantly
Used as standard for explosive comparison
Essential for protective structure design
Understanding TNT Equivalence
What is TNT Equivalent?
TNT equivalent is a convention for expressing energy, typically used to describe the energy released in explosions. It's based on the energy released by trinitrotoluene (TNT), which releases approximately 4.184 MJ per kilogram when detonated.
Why Use TNT as a Standard?
- •Widely known and historically significant explosive
- •Consistent and well-documented properties
- •Similar blast characteristics to other solid explosives
- •Enables standardized comparison across different explosives
Calculation Formula
W_eq = W_exp × (H_exp / H_TNT)
TNT Factor = H_exp / H_TNT
- W_eq: TNT equivalent weight (kg)
- W_exp: Weight of explosive (kg)
- H_exp: Heat of detonation of explosive (MJ/kg)
- H_TNT: Heat of detonation of TNT (4.184 MJ/kg)
Note: Only about one-third of the chemical energy is released during the initial detonation. The remainder is released at a slower rate.
Applications
- •Military applications: Weapon design and testing
- •Engineering: Protective structure design
- •Mining: Blast planning and safety calculations
- •Research: Energy comparison and analysis
- •Seismology: Measuring earthquake energies
Safety Considerations
- •Used for theoretical calculations and safety planning
- •Critical for determining safe distances and blast zones
- •Helps in designing protective structures and barriers
- •Essential for emergency response planning
- •Used in risk assessment for industrial operations