cubic feet in a ton of coal

I have a coal with a density of 52 lbs/cu. ft. How many cubic feet in ]
a ton.

Pete

Hi

1 Tonne (metric ton) = 36.8394 cubic ft.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I have a coal with a density of 52 lbs/cu. ft. How many cubic feet in ]
a ton.

Pete

Hello Pete,

There are three main types of ton. I don't know which type you're referring to, so here are the results for all of them:

short ton = 2000 lb
volume = 2000 ÷ 52 = 38.5 cu. ft. per short ton

long ton = 2240 lb
volume = 2240 ÷ 52 = 43.1 cu. ft. per long ton

metric ton = tonne = 1000 kg = 2204.6 lb
volume = 2204.6 ÷ 52 = 42.4 cu. ft. per metric ton

Poster #2 obtained a result different from any of mine, but without being able to see any steps in their calculation, I don't know how they arrived at the answer they did.

[JohnS]

I also don't know where the figure in post 2 came from. It may be a "typical" figure from some reference. Working backwards, it requires coal of about 59 lb/cu ft density. While that certainly exists, it is not what the OP has.

Roy has it correct for the three possible "flavors" of ton.

Originally Posted by JohnS

I also don't know where the figure in post 2 came from. It may be a "typical" figure from some reference. Working backwards, it requires coal of about 59 lb/cu ft density. While that certainly exists, it is not what the OP has.

Roy has it correct for the three possible "flavors" of ton.

bernie if you have 52 lb in a cubic foot. you bought rock. coal is lighter than rock. when coal is run through a braker, rock sinks coal floats.

which coal has the greatest volume per ton....stove coal or pea coal..
the stove coal is the biggest piece and the pea is the smallest....in a ton of coal there is more spaces between the bigger pieces ,than the smaller pea coal pieces..........but if you smash up a big piece of coal you can't put it back together in the same volume or density.......De Ken pigpenken@aol.com

So please: What is the density of nut coal?

I'm building a coal bin. I need to know (1) minimum delivery tons from the supplier and (2) then how many cubic feet I need for each ton. I thought I hit the jackpot until I see that there is uncertainty on the density of coal.

[JohnS]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

So please: What is the density of nut coal?

I'm building a coal bin. I need to know (1) minimum delivery tons from the supplier and (2) then how many cubic feet I need for each ton. I thought I hit the jackpot until I see that there is uncertainty on the density of coal.

This thread on a coal-oriented forum recommends allowing 40 ft³/ton for the bin design as a safe number (most coal will really be a little denser.) But it's just a Google result; I have zero experience with burning coal:
http://nepacrossroads.com/about1505.html

Rock (like granite) weighs about 185 lb per cubic foot.
Water weighs 62.4 lbs per cubic foot.
coal that weighs less than 62.4 lbs per cubic foot would float on water (and I've never seen coal that floats unless it is close to being lignite or peat). So unless there are a lot of openings and spaces around and in the coal (heavily broken up) it is not going to weigh 50-60 lbs per cubic foot. Even then the coal will still sink in water.

[JohnS]

Originally Posted by clinker

Rock (like granite) weighs about 185 lb per cubic foot.
Water weighs 62.4 lbs per cubic foot.
coal that weighs less than 62.4 lbs per cubic foot would float on water (and I've never seen coal that floats unless it is close to being lignite or peat). So unless there are a lot of openings and spaces around and in the coal (heavily broken up) it is not going to weigh 50-60 lbs per cubic foot. Even then the coal will still sink in water.

For all materials broken into random shaped lumps or ground to powder, there is a significant difference (more or less 2:1, but considerable variation) between true particle density (air spaces excluded) and bulk density (the volume required to hold a given weight, including air space). For a given material, bulk density can vary depending on degree of vibration or compacting to "settle it".

For a coal bin, the bulk density is what is needed for design. This site may help
http://www.powderandbulk.com/resourc...ty_chart_c.htm
(scroll halfway down page to coal)
Note the considerable range for coal in different forms (mean particle size), but in ALL forms, the bulk density is less than water. For coal averaging 50 lb/cu ft, 40 cu ft/ton is sufficient for designing storage, but dust or extremely finely ground coal could be as low as 35 lb/cu ft, requiring around 58 cu ft/ton.