What is MBH for Furnaces (How to Convert MBH to BTU)
MBH = 1,000 BTU/H.
Have you wondered what MBH stands for? We all did, the first time we saw it.
Even Some Pros Don’t Know
In fact, this question popped up on a pro forum called Heating Help. We’ve edited it for clarity, but the substance isn’t changed. Bold is added.
”I am a master plumber. The problem I have is after doing a job on a Slant/Fin boiler [a brand] the software program gives results in BTUs. The boiler specs are listed with ratings in MBH, which I don’t understand. I can not find any info to help me understand the relationship between the two.”
Well, that’s why we’ve created this page. Help is here!
MBH = 1,000 BTU/H. Pretty simple definition. Let’s explain that and then talk about converting MBH to BTU for gas furnaces and other equipment. A couple Pick HVAC calculators are included to convert MBH to BTU and BTU to MBH. We seek to make it easy!
Rating a furnace, boiler or other heating equipment by BTUs (British Thermal Units) is a standard and popular way of describing how much heat the system provides per hour – more accurately written BTU/hr or BTU/hour.
A lesser known unit of measurement for HVAC equipment is MBH.
Again, MBH stands for 1,000 BTU/hour.
“That’s odd,” you might think. And it seems strange until you remember that the Roman numeral “M” stands for 1,000. Think “Millennium,” which is 1,000 years.
Convert BTU/H to MBH
Converting BTU/H to MBH is a relatively easy conversion. All you have to do is divide the number of BTUs by 1000 to get the MBH value.
Here is our BTU to MBH Calculator. Just enter the BTU rating of your furnace, boiler or AC – yes, it works for cooling capacity as well as heating capacity – and the conversion will be done.
BTU/H to MBH Calculator
How many MBH is an 80,000 BTU furnace?
80 MBH. Enter 80,000 in the calculator, and the answer is given as 80 MBH.
How many MBH is a 12,000 BTU window AC?
Using the calculator, you’ll find that 12,000 BTU equals 12 MBH.
What is the cooling capacity in MBH of a 60,000 BTU AC?
Enter 60,000 to convert BTU/h to MBH. The answer shows – 60,000 BTU equals 60 MBH.
Convert MBH to BTU/H
To convert MBH to BTU (BTU/H), simply multiply the value of the MBH by 1000 to get the number of BTUs that are equivalent to the MBH number.
That’s what this MBH to BTU/hour Calculator does.
MBH to BTU/H Calculator
How many BTU/h is a 120 MBH gas furnace?
Enter 120 in the MBH space on the calculator, and the conversion is made – 120 MBH equals 120,000 BTU/h.
My boiler is listed at 199 MBH. How many BTU is 199 MBH?
Using the calculator, we can determine that 199 MBH equals 199,000 BTU/hour. That is a common maximum BTU rating for boilers such as tankless boilers and combi boilers that provide heating and domestic hot water.
What is the heating capacity of a 150 MBH natural gas furnace?
Type in 150, and the result will be shown. 150 MBH equals 150,000 BTU heating capacity.
Conversion Table
We’ve created this table for quick-glance answers and comparisons.
It shows common MBH to BTU/hr conversion examples. The right column, MBH, is multiplied by 1,000 to get the value of BTU/hr. Or you can start on the right, with BTU/hr, and look to the left column for MBH.
| MBH | Btu/h |
|---|---|
| 1 MBH | 1,000 Btu/h |
| 2 MBH | 2,000 Btu/h |
| 3 MBH | 3,000 Btu/h |
| 4 MBH | 4,000 Btu/h |
| 5 MBH | 5,000 Btu/h |
| 10 MBH | 10,000 Btu/h |
| 20 MBH | 20,000 Btu/h |
| 30 MBH | 30,000 Btu/h |
| 40 MBH | 40,000 Btu/h |
| 50 MBH | 50,000 Btu/h |
| 60 MBH | 60,000 Btu/h |
How many BTU/hr is 50 MBH?
50 MBH equals 50,000 BTU/hr. Find 50 in the left hand MBH column, and you’ll see 50,000 in the BTU/h column on the right.
How many MBH is 30,000 BTU/h?
Using the conversion table, find 30,000 in the right column. Look to the left, and you’ll see that 30,000 BTU/h equals 30 MBH.
FAQ
What do the following acronyms stand for: BTU, MBH, kWh?
BTU – British Thermal Units, which is a measure of heat content of fuels or other energy sources. Scientifically, it is the amount of heat that is needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree.
MBH – 1,000 BTUs per hour. It is a rating that you might see for various types of HVAC system, including natural gas or propane furnaces. It is most commonly used for boiler systems and large tankless water heaters.
kWh – Kilowatt-Hour. This is a measure of the amount of energy that an appliance uses per hour. An example would be if you use a 1,000-watt vacuum cleaner for one hour, it will consume 1 kWh of energy. Most electricity rates are figured per kWh of energy used. Check your utility bill next time to see what you’re paying per kWh of electricity.
How do you convert MBH to tons?
There are 0.083 tons in 1 MBH.
One ton, or 12,000 BTU, is equivalent to 12 MBH. To figure out the conversion, you can multiply 0.083 by the MBH value to get how many tons.
For example, how many tons is 20 MBH?
Multiply 20 times 0.083, and you’ll find that 20 MBH is approximately 1.667 tons.
Another way to do this is to convert MBH to BTU and divide by 12,000, since 1 ton = 12,000 BTU. So, in our example, 20 MBH equals 20,000 BTU, and 20,000 divided by 12,000 = 1.667.
To convert tons to MBH, you simply multiply the number of tons by 12. For example, a 3 ton system would convert to 36 MBH.
How are MBH and KWH related?
MBH and KWH are both types of energy units that can be converted interchangeably. A single MBH is equivalent to approximately 0.29307 kilowatts. To convert MBH to kWh, all that needs to be done is to multiply the number of MBH by 0.29307 to get a very close figure for the kWh.
How many BTU or MBH is required to heat a 1,500 square foot home?
An average 1,500 square foot home will need between 45,000 and 90,000 BTUs to provide heat to the entire home. The wide range is due to the different climate zones that are throughout the United States. Homes in southern Zones 1 or 2 will most likely require 45,000 BTUs and those in northern Climate Zones 6 and 7 will need up to 90,000 BTUs. The average BTU is around 80,000 BTUs. The conversion to MBH is between 45 and 90 MBH, and the average is 80 MBH.
Do air conditioning units use BTUs for energy ratings?
Yes. For example, a 12,000 BTU air conditioner will cool up to 500 square feet. The 12,000 BTU air conditioner will have a MBH rating of 12.
