Weights & Measures |
| 24 grains | = | 1 pennyweight |
| 20 pennyweights | = | 1 ounce (480 grains) |
| 12 ounces | = | 1 pound (5760 grains) |
Diamonds and pearls are weighed by Carats of 4 grains each (equivalent to 3.2 Troy grains).
The Troy ounce is equal to 150 Diamond Carats.
Gold, when pure, is rated as 24 carats fine; one part alloy makes it 23 carats fine, and so on.
Avoirdupois weight
| 16 drams | = | 1 ounce (437.5 grains Troy) |
| 16 ounces (oz) | = | 1 pound (7000 grains Troy) |
| 14 pounds (lb) | = | 1 stone |
| 28 pounds | = | 1 quarter |
| 4 quarters | = | 1 hundredweight (112 pounds) |
| 20 hundredweights (cwt) | = | 1 ton (2240 pounds) |
Avoirdupois weight was used for all general merchandise
Apothecaries weight
20 grains = 1 scruple 3 scruples = 1 dram 8 drams = 1 ounce 12 ounces = 1 pound
Used for dispensing drugs, etc.
Wool weight
14 pounds = 1 stone 2 stones = 1 tod 6.5 tods = 1 wey 2 weys = 1 sack (3.5 cwt) 12 sacks = 1 last (29 cwt)
In foreign markets, the pack of 240 pound was common. This was useful because the price in pounds sterling per sack was the same as the price in pence per pound weight.
In some parts of England and Scotland the stone of 24 pounds was sometimes used. In Ireland, the stone was commonly 16 pounds.
Measures of length
Linear measure
12 inches = 1 foot 3 feet = 1 yard 5.5 yards = 1 rod, pole or perch 4 poles = 1 chain 10 chains = 1 furlong 8 furlongs = 1 mile 3 miles = 1 league
Surveyors' measure
7.92 inches = 1 link 100 links = 1 chain 80 chains = 1 mile 10 square chains = 1 acre
Square measure
| 144 square inches | = | 1 square foot |
| 9 square feet | = | 1 square yard |
| 30.25 square yards | = | 1 square pole |
| 40 square poles | = | 1 rood |
| 4 roods | = | 1 acre |
| 640 acres | = | 1 square mile |
Solid or cubic measure
| 1728 cubic inches | = | 1 cubic foot |
| 27 cubic feet | = | 1 cubic yard |
| 5 cubic feet | = | 1 barrel bulk shipping |
| 40 cubic feet | = | 1 ton shipping |
| 40 cubic feet | = | 1 load hard timber |
| 50 cubic feet | = | 1 load foreign fir |
Capacity
4 gills = 1 pint = 34 cu.in. (approx.) 2 pints = 1 quart = 69 cu.in. (approx.) 4 quarts = 1 gallon = 277.25 cu.in. (approx.) 2 gallons = 1 peck = 544.5 cu.in. (approx.) 4 pecks = 1 bushel = 2218.5 cu.in. (approx.) 8 bushels = 1 quarter = 10.25 cu.ft. (approx.) 5 quarters = 1 load = 51 cu.ft. (approx.) 36 bushels = 1 chaldron = 46 cu.ft. (approx.)
A bushel of wheat weighs on average 60 pounds
A bushel of barley weighs on average 47 pounds
A bushel of oats weighs on average 40 pounds
A gallon of distilled water weighs 10 pounds
Miscellaneous Trade Measures
Yarn measure (linen)
300 yards = 1 cut 2 cuts = 1 heer 6 heers = 1 hank 4 hanks = 1 spindle
Yarn measure (cotton)
120 yards = 1 skein 7 skeins = 1 hank 18 hanks = 1 spindle
Cloth measure
2.25 inches = 1 nail 4 nails = 1 quarter 4 quarters = 1 yard 5 quarters = 1 ell
Paper measure (writing paper)
24 sheets = 1 quire 20 quires = 1 ream
Paper measure (printing paper)
21.5 quires (516 sheets) = 1 ream 2 reams = 1 bundle 5 bundles = 1 bale
Information on this page was taken from "The New Standard Encyclopaedia and World Atlas", published by Odhams Press (1932).
For an extremely comprehensive dictionary of units, old and new, visit
http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units
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Last edited on 24 April 2007 22:21:19 +0100.