CUSTOMARY 
(OLD) WEIGHTS & MEASURES

Apples, Bushel lb 40 & up

Almonds, seron cwt 1.1/4 to
2s

     
basket cwt 1.1/4 to 1.1/2

     
Jordan, box lb 25

Anchovies, barrel lb 30

Beef (Irish), tierce of 38
pieces lb 304

Brandy, hogshead imp.gals
45 to 60

Puncheon imp. gals 100 to
110

    1/4 cask
imp. gals 20 to 25

Bricks, load No. 500

Bullion, bar lb15 to 30

Butter, firkin lb 56

   tub lb 84

   barrel lb 224

Calico, piece yds 28

Carnphor, box about cwt 1

Candles, barrel lb 120

Cheese, stone lb 16

Cider, pipe imp. gals 100
to 118

Cinnamon, bale lb 92.1/2

Cloves a rnatt, lb 80;
chest. lb 200

Coal, ton (10 sacks of 2
cwt) cwt20

Newcastle chaldron of 3
wains cwt 52.1/2

   
estimated for boats at cwt 53

Cochineal ,seron lb 140

    bag lb
200. 70,000 insects to a lb

Coffee, tierce cwt 5 to 7

   barrel cwt 3
to 11

   bag cwt 11 to
11

Mocha, bale cwt 2 to 2.1/2

Cocoa bag, about cwt 1,

   cask, cwt
1.1/4

Cotton Wool (Virginia,
Carolina, Georgia, West Indies)

   bale lb 300 to
310

    (New
Orleans, Alabama) lb 400 to 500

   (East India)
bale lb 320 o 360

   (Brazil), bale
lb 196 to 250

   (Egyptian),
bale lb 1 80 to 280

Currants, butt cwt 15 to 20

Figs, Faro, frail lb 32

Malaga lb 56

   barrel lb96 to
360

Fish, maze fish 615

   last.. fish
13,200

Fish, warp fish 4

   a long hundred
fish 132

   a barrel of
herrings. gals 32

    keg of
sturgeon gals 4 to 5

Flour, peck or stone lb 14

   boll of 10
pecks or stones lb 140

   sack or 2
bolls lb 280

   barrel , lb
196

Ginger (Jamaica), bag,
about . cwt 1

   (Barbados),
bag, about cwt 1.1/4

   (East India),
bag, about cwt 1

Glass seam of lb 120

Gum Arabic, E. I. chest cwt
6

Turkey, chest cwt 4

Gunpowder, barrel . cwt 1

   last 24
barrels or 2,400 lb

Hide;: dicker skins 10

   last dickers
20

Hock aum . gals 30

Honey, gallon lb 12

Hops, pocket 1 cwt 1.1/2 to
2

  bag nearly cwt 2.1/2

Indigo, E.I. about 3.1/2
maunds lb 260

   (Guatemala)
seron . lb 250

Lead, tother, or fodder lb
2,400

Mace, case, about cwt 1.1/2

Molasses, puncheon cwt 10
to 12

Muslin, piece yds 10

Mustard, cask lb 9 to 18

Nutmegs, casks lb 200

Nuts (Barcelona) lb 126

   (Messina), bag
cwt l.1/2 to 1.3/4

Oil, tun wine gals 252

   imp. gals 210

   ton lb 1,770

Olive, Oil, chest of 60
flasks imp. gals 125

   jar imp, gals
25

Opium (East India.),chest 2
maunds, or lb 149.1/3

   (Turkey).. lb
136

Pepper (black), Company’s
bag lb 316

   free trade
bags lb 28, 56, 112

   (white), bag,
about cwt 1.1/2

Pilchards, hogshead (about
3,000 fish) gals 40

Plums. 1/4box. about lb 20

Plums, carton lb 9

Pork (Irish), tierce, 80
pieces, or lb 320

Potashes, barrel lb 120

Potatoes, bag lb 112 and
168, bushels 4 & 5 

Quicksilver, bottle, about
lb 84

Raisins, 

   Valencia, box,
from about lb 30 to 40

   a drum, about
lb 24

   a barrel cwt 1

   (Malaga), a
cask cwt 1

   (Turkey), a
cask cwt 2.1/2

   (Ma)aga), a
box lb 22

Rice, (East India), bag
about cwt 1.1/2

   (American),
cask cwt 6

Resin, barrel, about cwt 2

Rum, puncheon gals 90 to
100

   hogshead gals
45 to 50

Soap;barrel lb 256

   firkin, lb 64

Soda, cask cwt 3 to 4

Steel, faggot lb 120

Stone of iron lb 14

   butcher’s meat
lb 8

   glass lb 5

   hemp lb 32

   cheese lb 16

Straw load 11 cwt 64 lb

   truss lb 36

Sugar (West India),
hogshead cwt 13 to 16

   tierce cwt 7
to 9

   (Mauritius),
mat or bag cwt 1 to 1.1/2

   (East India),
bag cwt 1 to 1.3/4

Tallow, cask, about cwt 9

Tapioca, barrel, about cwt
1.1/4

Tar, barrel imp. gals 261

Tea, India, Ceylon,
Pakistan, East Africa,Indonesia.:

   chest, 19 in
x19 in x 24 in approx. lb 110

   half chest 18
in x 18 in x 20 in approx lb 100

Tiles, load tiles 1,000

Tobacco, hogshead cwt12 to
18

Train Oil, gallon lb 9

Turpentine, barrel cwt 2 to
2.1/2

Vermilion, bag lb 50

Whisky (Scotch), puncheon
imp. gals 112 to 120

   hogshead imp.
gals 55 to 60

Wool, pack lb 2,403

   tod lb 28

MEAT WEIGHT

8 pounds 1
stone

25 stone
(beef) 1 barrel

28 stone
(pork) 1 barrel

Irish Beef
Irish Pork

8 pounds 1
piece 4 pounds = 1 piece

38 pieces 1
tierce 80 pieces = 1 tierce

 

FISH MEASURE
SCOTCH LIQUID MEASURE

2 fish = 1
hand 4 gills = 1 mutchkin

37.1/2.
imperial galls. = 1 cran 2 mutchkins = 1 choppin

13,200 fish =
1 last 2 choppins = 1 pint

 

COAL WEIGHT

14 Pounds 1
Stone.

28 1 Quarter
Cwt.

56 1 Half Cwt.

1 Sack of 112
Pounds 1 Cwt.

1 Double Sack
of 224 Pounds 2 Cwt.

20 Cwt or 10
Large Sacks 1 Ton.

21 Tons 4 Cwt
1 Barge or Keel.

20 Keels, or
424 Tons ‘ 1 Ship Load.

140 Cwt or 7
Tons 1 Room

25.1/2 Cwt 1
Chaldron.

By the Weights
and Measures Act of 1889, all coal had to be sold by
Avoirdupois Weight. A truck of coal weighs;on an average
about 8 tons.

 

COKE MEASURE

3 Bushels = 1
Sack, 12 Sacks = 1 Chaldron.

 

TIMBER MEASURE

100
Superficial Feet of Planking = 1 Square.

120 Deals = 1
Hundred.

108 Cubic Feet
. 1. = 1 Stack.

120 = 1 Cord.

50 Cubic Feet
of Squared Timber, or }

40 , of Unhewn
or 1 Load or Ton. } 1 Load or ton.

600 Square .
of 1″ Planking }

 

 

WOOL WEIGHT

7 Pounds 1
clove

14 lb or 2
cloves 1 stone

2 Stones, or
28 lb 1 tod

6 Tods 1 Wey

2 Weys 1 sack

12 Sacks 1
last

20 Pounds 1
score

12 Score, or
240 lb 1 pack

In different
counties the stone of wool varies from 12 lb to 16 lb; but
the statutory value is 14 lb. Wool is weighed by wool
weight only.

 

BREAD AND
FLOUR WEIGHTS

1 quartern of
flour 3 lbs. 8 ozs. avoirdupois

1 quartern of
bread 4 lbs. 5 ozs. 8.1/2. drs. avoirdupois

1 peck of
flour 14 lbs. avoirdupois

1 peck of
bread 17 lbs. 6 ozs. 2 drs. avoirdupois

1 bushel of
flour 56 lbs. (4 pecks)

1 sack of
flour 280 lbs. (5 bushels)

 

WHEATEN BREAD

lb oz drm

A Peck Loaf
weighs 17 6 2

A Half-Peck
Loaf 8 11 1

A Quartern
Loaf 4 5 8.1/2

A Quartern (or
Quarter-Peck) of Flour 3 8 0

A Peck or
Stone of Flour 14 0 0

A Bushel of
Flour 56 0 0

A Sack of
Flour, or 5 Bushels 280 0 0

Under wartime
regulation bread had to be sold in loaves of 1 lb 14 oz or
15 oz.

Bakers are
forbidden by Statute to sell bread by the peck or quartern.

 

CHEESE AND
BUTTER WEIGHT

8 Pounds make
1 Clove or Half Stone.

32 Cloves or
256 lb 1 Wey in Suffolk.

42 Cloves or
336 lb 1 Wey in Essex.

56 Pounds of
Butter 1 Firkin.

84 1 Tub.

224 1 Barrel.

 

GLASS WEIGHT

5 Pounds make
1Stone.

120 Pounds or
24 Stones 1Seam.

 

HAY AND STRAW

36 Pounds make
1 Truss of Straw.

56 Pounds 1
Truss of Old Hay.

60 Pounds 1
Truss of New Hay.

36 Trusses 1
Load.

1 Load of New
Hay 19 Cwt 32 lb.

1 Load of Old
Hay 18 Cwt.

1 Load of
Straw 11 Cwt 64 lb

1 Cubic Yard
of New Hay 6 Stone or 84 lb.

1 Cubic Yard
of Old Hay 8 Stone or 1 Cwt

 

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