Tonnage
The force capacity of a press, or the force a given operation demands, expressed in tons.
What it means on the floor
Tonnage is the working force available from a press (its rating) and, separately, the force an operation requires. The required tonnage — the sum of cutting, forming, stripping, and pad forces — must stay safely below the press rating at the relevant point in the stroke.
Mechanical presses are also rated for tonnage only near the bottom of the stroke, so where in the stroke the force occurs matters as much as its magnitude.
Category: Press
Applying the term
Interpret Tonnage in the context of the drawing, governing standard, and customer requirement in front of you — the same word can carry different limits in design, quality, and production documents. Check whether a stated value is nominal, minimum, maximum, or reference-only, and whether it applies before forming, after forming, or after heat treatment.