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tonnage, in shipping, the total number of tons registered or carried or the total carrying capacity.

Gross tonnage (GT) is calculated from the formula GT = K1V, where V is the volume of a ship’s enclosed spaces in cubic metres and K1 is a constant calculated by K1 = 0.2 + 0.02 log10 V. The measurement is used in assessing harbor dues and canal transit dues for merchant ships.

Deadweight tonnage (DWT) is a measurement of total contents of a ship including cargo, fuel, crew, passengers, food, and water aside from boiler water. It is expressed in long tons of 2,240 pounds (1,016.0469088 kilograms).

Displacement tonnage is used to define the size of naval ships. It refers to the weight of the volume of water displaced by a vessel in normal seagoing condition.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.