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Weights and measures: what is an ounce and what is it equal to?

From the history of the use of the ounce

The concept of "ounce" comes from the Latin word "uncia", which literally means "little thing, a little bit, a little bit." This is how several units of mass are denoted, this is also a definition for a pair of measures of the volume of a liquid, it is used as a unit for measuring force and even as the name of several monetary units (including gold and silver).

This term was used in ancient Rome. There, 1 denoted 1/12 of the libra - an ancient Roman measure of weight equal to 327.45 g (or 0.7996 Russian pounds). Libra was used most often to indicate how much precious metals, in particular gold, weigh. In this case, an ounce, denoted by an "I" sign, a dot () or a horizontal bar (-), was equal to 28.34 g (0.0666 Russian pounds) and was divided into 2 semunces (Σ, Є, £), 4 sicilicuses (Ɔ ), 6 sextuples (Ƨ), 24 scruples (E) and 144 silicas.

This measurement system was applied not only to metals. The Romans used it for a number of other various purposes. For example, to indicate the size of the inheritance, the measure of capacity, the length (where 1 ounce was equal to 0.0246 m) and surface area (where 1 ounce was equal to 209.91 m²).

Later, such a measurement system was borrowed from the Romans by almost all the peoples of medieval Europe, and before the introduction of the metric system of measures, it was one of the main and most widespread.

In Italy, an ounce was equal to 1/12 of a pound, in Portugal and Spain, 1/16 of a trading pound. In Sicily (until 1865), this was the name of a coin unit identical to 2½ scudi (a silver and gold coin in Italy, equal to 5 francs) or 3 ducats (the name of silver (from 1140), and then (from 1284) and gold coins, first appeared in Italy, and later produced in a number of other European countries).

In Latin America and Spain, the gold coin was called the doubloon in this way. In China - tael (or liang - a measure of weight and monetary unit in Southeast Asia).

The place of the ounce in the modern world

Today, this measure is widely used in countries where weight is traditionally measured in pounds, called a troy ounce.

This term comes from the name of the French city of Troyes. It was there that the largest trade and financial center of all of Europe was located in the Middle Ages.

It weighs 31.1034768 g and is designated by the abbreviation - toz or ozt.

From 1824 to 1858, the troy pound, made up of 12 troy ounces, was the main weight unit in Great Britain. However, in other states, weight 1 could be different. The British troy ounce weight is widely used in precious metals trading.

There are several international designations for this unit. For gold - XAU, silver - XAG, platinum - XPT and palladium - XPD. The weight of coins in investment operations is quite often calculated and indicated within the framework of this system.

At the same time, in the United States and some other countries of the world, the fundamental unit of weight is the pound averdupua, which consists not of 12 (unlike the troy), but already of 16 ounces. This unit is abbreviated as oz or oz at. Its weight is approximately 28.35 g, namely 28.349 523 125 g.

Now the troy measure is widely used not only in the banking and jewelry business, used to weigh precious metals (platinum, palladium, gold and silver), but also in some other areas, for example, in cosmetology and pharmacy, to measure the weight of especially valuable ingredients. substances and preparations.

It is worth noting that for a long time the pharmaceutical business had its own individual system for measuring and determining the scale, which was used for weighing medicinal substances and was used exclusively in this field of activity. This is the so-called pharmaceutical or medical weight.

Its standard has varied from country to country. In the pharmaceutical system, as in the system for measuring the mass of noble metals, the same numeral units were used. However, their quantity in one pound in these systems could be different, and the weight could vary from 25 to 35 g. Due to the lack of a clear definition of how many grams are contained in an ounce, the whole process of trade was very difficult and a huge number of contradictions were created.

1 pharmacy ounce is equal to 29.86 g. Currently, this term is archaic or outdated and is not widely used.

In addition to the above listed species, there is also a fluid ounce, denoted by the abbreviation fl oz. It is used to measure the volume of a liquid. There are two types of fluid ounces: English and American. The first, according to English tradition, is equal to 1/20 of a pint or 28.413,063 ml (28.4 g). The second (American) is 1/16 of a pint or 29.573 531 ml (29.57 g). Currently, in the United States for food, the weight of one fluid ounce is equivalent to 30 ml.

These are the main similarities and differences in the determination of the measure of weights based on the use of these systems.

Novice investors are often confused about weight because they don't know how many grams are in an ounce of gold. Having bought an ingot, a person suddenly receives more metal than he expected to receive. But is it?

This is due to the fact that even in the modern world, a system such as the troy ounce is used to determine the weight of gold. And this ounce is often confused with an ordinary ounce, since grams are used in Russia.

Therefore, when buying in foreign markets, it is imperative to take into account the fact that a troy ounce weighs nine point seven percent more than averdupua.

Ounce of averdupua

Abbreviation oz or oz at - in the United States and several other countries, the basic unit of weight is pound averdupua (453.592 370 g). It consists of 16 ounces. The weight of an ounce of averdupua is 28.35 g (28.349 523 125 g).

What is a troy ounce

This is the name of the unit for determining the weight of precious metals, which is included in the troy system of measures. It is designated as TR.OZ, or troy ounce, or simply ozt. This system was used by the Romans to measure gold, silver and precious stones. This system includes pounds and grains.

To understand the difference, you need to know what an ounce is.

So: One troy ounce will be equal to 31.1034768 grams. The pound is equal to 373.2417216g. or twelve troy ounces. A grain is equal to 1 in 480 ounces, or 64.79891 milligrams.

It is not necessary to confuse the pound in England and the troy pound, since the latter is rarely used by anyone at present. And it is absolutely necessary to separate the ordinary and the troy ounce.

In the modern world, sometimes they are still measured in a troy ounce, especially in the financial sector, in jewelry stores, in the pharmacy and cosmetics industry. In order to calculate the metal in cans, a troy ounce is rounded, and it turns out 31.103 grams.

In this case, it is not clear why use an outdated system. Why it is impossible to use more modern systems of measures. We will try to answer this question.

The most important feature of a troy ounce is its convenience in calculating the weight of precious metals to determine their price in the banking and jewelry industry.

How to convert ounces to grams

This can be done using an online calculator. To find out how many grams are in ounces of gold, you need to enter the number of ounces there and the calculator will automatically convert it to grams. The troy ounce is a kind of royal symbol for measuring gold.

Some coins are equal in weight to a troy ounce:

• golden eagle usa
• golden buffalo usa
• Australia gold bar
• Panda china
• Krugerrand South Africa
• Maple Leaf Canada
• Philharmonic Australia

The ancient city of Troy did not in any way influence the name of the troy ounce. Troy ounce was named after a small town in France - Troyes. This city became popular in the twelfth century, as it hosted fairs with the participation of merchants from all over the world.

Previously, each country used its own system to measure the value of gold, which constantly created difficulties. At first, it was proposed to take the livre as a universal measure, the troy pound was included in the same system. Soon the troy ounce became the main method for determining the measures of precious metals.

How to convert ounces to grams? In order to learn how to translate these values, first of all, it is necessary to say what this very ounce is.

The word ounce, or "uncia", takes its name from Ancient Rome. In turn, an ounce, in the concept of the ancient Romans, was 1/12 of a large bronze coin weighing 27.288 grams, or one tenth, depending on the time.

Since the 13th century, 1 ounce has been equal to 1/16 of a pound. Needless to say, the modern ounce is significantly different in weight from the ancient Roman one.

Over the years, this measure of weight was used throughout Europe, and in the modern world it is widely used in banking, pharmaceuticals and jewelry. Therefore, the need to convert ounces to grams arose even there.

As a rule, when people talk about gold, they most often mean a troy ounce.

Convert oz to grams

It is worth noting that an ounce has the international designation oz (oz). 1 ounce, at the moment, is 28.349523 grams. The value of this value changes twice a day and depends on the rate of the London fixing.

Of course, in the modern world there are a huge number of currency converters that can easily help convert one value to another. We are pursuing another goal - to learn how to independently translate these values. So we can find out an ounce is how many grams.

The formula for the calculation will look like this: (? Oz) * (1 lb / 16 oz) * (1 kg / 2.2046 lb) * (1000 g / 1 kg) =

To calculate how many grams are in ounces, you need to substitute the value you are interested in. So, 1 ounce in grams would be:

1oz * (1lb / 16 oz) * (1kg / 2.2046lb) * (1000g / 1kg) = 28.349814g

Four ounces:

4oz * (1lb / 16 oz) * (1kg / 2.2046lb) * (1000g / 1kg) = 113.396041g

5 ounces:

5oz * (1lb / 16 oz) * (1kg / 2.2046lb) * (1000g / 1kg) = 141.749070g

9 ounces:

9oz * (1lb / 16 oz) * (1kg / 2.2046lb) * (1000g / 1kg) = 255.148326g

This method is one of the most accurate, it will easily help you find out how many grams are contained in a given amount of oz, thereby showing the weight of an ounce.

In addition to this method, the table will help to find out how much one tenth or more of an ounce contains:

oz	gr.	oz	gr.	oz	gr.	oz	gr.	oz	gr.	oz	gr.	oz	gr.	oz	gr.	oz	gr.
1/2	14.18	2/3	18.99	3/4	21.26	4/5	22.68	5/6	23.53	6/7	24.38	7/8	24.95	8/9	25.3	9/10	25.52
1/3	9.44	2/5	11.34	3/5	17.01	4/7	16.16	5/7	20.13	6/11	15.46	7/9	22.11	8/11	20.62	9/11	23.2
1/4	7.09	2/7	8.22	3/7	12.19	4/9	12.47	5/8	17.86	6/13	13.08	7/10	19.85	8/13	17.45	9/13	19.63
1/5	5.67	2/9	6.24	3/8	10.77	4/11	10.31	5/9	15.88	6/16	10.63	7/11	18.04	8/15	15.12	9/14	18.23
1/6	4.82	2/11	5.15	3/10	8.51	4/13	8.72	5/11	12.89	6/17	10	7/12	16.54	8/17	13.34	9/17	15.95
1/7	3.97	2/13	4.36	3/11	7.73	4/14	8.1	5/12	11.81	6/19	8.95	7/13	15.27	8/19	11.94	9/20	15.01
1/8	3.69	2/15	3.78	3/13	6.54	4/15	7.56	5/13	10.9	6/25	6.8	7/15	13.23	8/21	10.8	9/25	12.76
1/9	3.12	2/17	3.34	3/14	6.08	4/17	6.67	5/14	10.12	6/35	4.86	7/16	12.4	8/25	9.07	9/35	10.21
1/10	2.83	2/19	2.98	3/16	5.32	4/18	6.3	5/21	6.75	6/45	3.78	7/17	11.67	8/31	7.32	9/40	7.29
1/11	2.58	2/21	2.7	3/17	5	4/19	5.97	5/31	4.57	6/55	3.09	7/18	11.03	8/41	5.53	9/50	6.38
1/12	2.36	2/25	2.27	3/19	4.48	4/21	5.4	5/41	3.46	6/65	2.61	7/19	10.45	8/51	4.45	9/60	5.1
1/13	2.18	2/31	1.83	3/20	4.25	4/25	4.54	5/51	2.78	6/75	2.27	7/20	9.92	8/61	3.72	9/70	4.25
1/14	2.03	2/41	1.38	3/25	3.4	4/35	3.24	5/61	2.32	6/85	2	7/25	7.94	8/71	3.19	9/80	3.65
1/15	1.89	2/51	1.11	3/35	2.43	4/45	2.52	5/71	2	6/95	1.79	7/30	6.62	8/81	2.8	9/90	3.19
1/16	1.77	2/61	0.93	3/40	2.13	4/55	2.06	5/81	1.75			7/40	4.96	8/91	2.49	9/100	2.55
1/17	1.67	2/71	0.8	3/50	1.7	4/65	1.75	5/91	1.56			7/50	3.97
1/18	1.58	2/81	0.7	3/70	1.22	4/75	1.51					7/60	3.31
1/19	1.49	2/91	0.62	3/80	1.06	4/85	1.33					7/80	2.48
1/20	1.42	2/99	0.57	3/100	0.85	4/95	1.19					7/90	2.21
1/25	1.13											7/100	1.98
1/30	0.95
1/40	0.71
1/50	0.57
1/60	0.47
1/70	0.41
1/80	0.35
1/90	0.32
1/100	0.28

• Few people know that besides a measure of weight, 1 ounce can be represented as a measure of the volume of a liquid, or 1 fl oz, so 1 ounce in grams is equivalent to 30 ml of liquid.
• Freely convertible currencies currently account for 15% of the entire financial market;
• 1 pharmacy ounce is 29.860 grams. This value was widespread until 1930, then it lost its strength;
• Not everyone knows about Maria Teresa's ounce, which was 31.1025 grams. This coin was forged many times, and finally, for the tenth time, it came out as the queen wanted.

Gold reserves are one of the indicators of the country's well-being, a symbolic guarantor of its economic and social well-being. Today, about 90% of the world's gold reserves are stored in the form of gold bars in special vaults of states. The United States, Italy, France, Germany and China have the largest reserves of monetary gold. The undisputed leader in terms of gold bullion reserves remains the United States. However, gold today is also the property of individuals. But who is the richest owner is not known for certain. As a version, this is one of the royal families of the East.

Why are gold reserves needed?

The question is, why are gold reserves so important? Why did this precious metal become the cornerstone in the world economic system being built?

First, the presence of substantial gold reserves allows the state to maintain economic independence from other currencies. Secondly, gold is still one of the most reliable ways of investment. In the last decade alone, the value of this yellow metal has grown more than 5 times. In the event of an unstable economic situation in the domestic market of the state, threatening inflation of the national currency, gold will be able to perform the functions of a kind of monetary equivalent recognized throughout the world.

Investing in gold: profitable or not?

In 2005, Rick Munaritz, one of the co-owners of an Internet service, faced a dilemma: what is safer to invest his money in - in the Google search engine or gold. At that time, their value on the stock exchange was the same. But in 2008, a crisis broke out and trading on Google closed at around $ 307 per share, and in gold at around $ 866 per ounce.

To the origins of history

But what is such a strange measure - a troy ounce of gold? Why isn't a universal weight unit - grams - used when weighing gold? And what is the ratio of these two units of measurement. How much is a troy ounce in grams? Let's try to understand the essence of this issue.

An ounce is nothing more than a twelfth part of the bronze ancient Roman coin "assa". The Romans used large bronze coins cut into pieces as money. Over time, this monetary unit began to be used as a measure of weight. This she owes to such a pedantic attitude of the Romans to the minting of coins. There was no reason to doubt their observance of the minting standards. How much does a troy ounce weigh in grams? You will learn more about this later. First, a little history.

Let's make a reservation right away, the ancient city of Troy has nothing to do with this unit of measurement. The troy ounce owes its name to the small town of Troyes. In the twelfth century, fairs were held here, in which merchants from all over the world participated. Therefore, the need arose for a single universal measure. The variety of national currencies already available at that time somewhat complicated the establishment of trade relations. The preference was given to the French livre. It consisted of a troy pound of silver, which, in turn, was divided into twelve troy ounces. Since then, the troy ounce has been gaining popularity and has successfully adapted to the realities of the time. Especially for measuring the weight of expensive and valuable materials. Troy ounce - how many grams? It's time to find out about it.

How much does an ounce weigh?

How much does a troy ounce of gold weigh? In grams in ancient Rome, its weight was 27.288. After the disappearance of the Roman Empire, there was no single standard of minting bronze coins, and therefore the ounce somewhat lost its infallibility. Its weight in different areas began to differ markedly. And this, in turn, became the subject of a dispute between the buyer and the seller. The introduction of the metric system of units made it possible to determine how much a troy ounce of gold weighs in grams. Today, one ounce weighs 31.1034768 grams.

Purity standards or how many precious metals are there in valuable coins?

Today, the ounce is the main measure in precious metals trading: it measures the weight of investment or bullion coins (gold, silver, palladium and platinum) issued by central banks.

What is the current USD / Troy ounce ratio? For example, in the United States, coins were made of gold, weighing 1/10 of a troy ounce, corresponding to a denomination of $ 5; A ½ troy ounce coin corresponded to $ 25, and a 1 ounce coin to $ 50. The classic version is undoubtedly the American Eagles - they contain one ounce of high-grade platinum.

In Russia, the weight of coins made of precious metals is indicated in grams, but the amount of precious metal is indicated in fractions of a troy ounce. The weight of the gold coin "George the Victorious" with a denomination of 50 rubles, issued by the Bank of Russia, has a weight of -7.89 grams, the weight of pure gold is at least 7.78 grams, which is ¼ a troy ounce.

How much is an ounce worth?

What is a Troy Ounce? How many grams is in it? We have already dealt with this. Remaining to find out how much an ounce is worth? How is the gold price formed? There is a reliable and time-tested practice of gold fixing. This tradition began in September 1919 in London. On September 3, 1939, due to the cessation of gold trading, the fixing procedure was discontinued. London trading resumed on March 22, 1954 and has not undergone significant changes since then. Bidders within a minute are ready to answer the question of whether the price of gold rises or falls. If the number of buyers exceeds the number of sellers, the initial price of gold rises. This procedure takes place in London at the LBM auction twice a day: at 10.30 am and three pm. It is believed that the London fixing price level for precious metals is the fairest.

How much is gold today?

The dynamics of changes in the price of gold is of great interest not only for those who have chosen it as an object of their investments. It is a kind of indicator of the state of the world economy. So, let's analyze how the gold rate has changed in recent years. In 1996, about $ 400 was given for one ounce of gold; already in 2010-2011, the price per ounce of gold rose to $ 1,300. In this time interval, the increase was almost 30%. According to analysts, 2015 was not so good for the precious metals market. The cost of one ounce fell from $ 1,000 in 2014 to $ 840 in 2015. And in 2016 there are quite convincing prerequisites for the growth of the price of the yellow metal.

Finally

If you have decided to invest in physical gold, the ideal solution would be to purchase gold bars from one of the government banking institutions. In the case of a transaction on the Internet - be careful. The fact is that there are two types of ounce: troy ounce and averdupua ounce. The substitution of concepts has already played a cruel joke with more than one entrepreneur. A troy ounce of gold in grams is almost 9.7% heavier. Good luck with your investment.

When buying or selling precious metals, an unfamiliar unit of measurement is often encountered - an ounce. It is much simpler and more understandable, we are accustomed to using the metric system in everyday life, to measure weight in grams. However, in international practice, this is the standard for determining the value of precious metals. The answer to the question: 1 ounce, how many grams, is not as simple as it might seem at first glance.

Translation problems

Translation problems arise due to the presence of different names depending on the area of ​​use and the country where it is used. The confusion is also added by the fact that some states, for example the United States, still do not use the metric system, preferring the traditional one.

• Averdupua (oz or oz at) - 28.35 g, used by the United States as a measure of weight.
• Fluid ounce (fl oz) - 29.573 531 ml, used to determine the volume of a liquid.
• Troy ounce (toz or ozt) - 31.1034768 g, all over the world this value is used to measure the weight of precious metals.

Troy ounce

Troy ounce is a common measure for precious metals.

Simplified meaning for translation: 1 ozt - 31.1035 grams.

It should be noted that in international trade this unit is used only to determine the mass of pure metals of the highest standard.

In world currency markets, the XAU index is used to indicate the rate of 999.9 gold. Mints of different countries minted coins weighing 31.1 g. Many, both old and modern money made of gold and silver, have this denomination.

origin of name

Uncia- Latin term means 1/12 part. This concept came to us from Ancient Rome, but the troy ounce appeared as a measure of weight much later. This name has nothing to do with ancient Troy and comes from the name of the French city Troyes(Troyes), Champagne province.

In the Middle Ages, the famous champagne fairs were held here, which brought together traders from different countries. The presence of various measures has led to the need to apply some kind of unifying value.

The troy pound became such a unit and its 1/12 part is the troy ounce. In the 19th century, Great Britain became the center of world trade. Which inherited and finally consolidated the application of this measure, as the main one in the international trade in precious metals.

Using recalculation in practice

The need to translate ounce-gram arises, in most cases, when trying to calculate, or silver per gram in national currency, for example in rubles, today. The calculation algorithm is quite complex and requires knowledge of not only the cost of the metal in dollars per ounce, but also the currency quotes of rubles / dollar. It looks like this:

the cost of gold (dollars / ozt) divided by 31.1035 and multiplied by the dollar / rub rate, we get the gold price in rubles / g.

There is a calculator for calculating the value of gold, which makes calculations according to the data of the Central Bank, which greatly simplifies and speeds up obtaining the desired result.

On the Internet, you can find a large number of unit converters, when using such programs to convert the weight of precious metals, it is important to remember that you need a troy ounce, and not any other value.