Old and Regional Units in Metric
Quick answer: 1 Viennese klafter = 1.89648384 m = 6 feet = 72 inches; 1 Viennese ell ≈ 0.7792 m; 1 eimer = 40 Maß = 56.589 L; 1 Viennese pound = 0.56006 kg and 1 hundredweight = 100 pounds = 56.006 kg.
Convert the Viennese klafter, ell, inch, eimer, Maß, pound, oka and other old Austro-Hungarian, Dalmatian, Ottoman and Russian units to metres, litres and kilograms.
Length – old and regional units
| Unit | Region / system | Value in SI units |
|---|---|---|
| Viennese klafter (fathom) | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 1.896484 m |
| Viennese foot | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 0.3160806 m |
| Viennese inch | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 0.02634005 m |
| Viennese line | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 0.002195004 m |
| Viennese rod | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 3.160806 m |
| Austrian post mile | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 7,585.935 m |
| Viennese ell | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | ≈ 0.7792 m |
| Croatian mile | Croatian and Slavonian | ≈ 2,226 m |
| Venetian ell (wool) | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.68453 m |
| Venetian ell (silk) | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.6399 m |
| Venetian foot | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.34764 m |
| Venetian pace (5 feet) | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 1.73823 m |
| verst | Russian | 1,066.8 m |
| sazhen | Russian | 2.1336 m |
| oblique sazhen | Russian | ≈ 2.4892 m |
| arshin | Russian | 0.7112 m |
| vershok | Russian | 0.04445 m |
| pyad (span) | Russian | 0.1778 m |
| arşın (market ell) | Ottoman (Turkish) | ≈ 0.68 m |
| architect's arşın | Ottoman (Turkish) | ≈ 0.757738 m |
| Ottoman endaze | Ottoman (Turkish) | ≈ 0.65 m |
| Ottoman inch | Ottoman (Turkish) | ≈ 0.03157 m |
| Ottoman foot | Ottoman (Turkish) | ≈ 0.37887 m |
| farsakh | Ottoman (Turkish) | ≈ 5,685 m |
| Old Polish ell | Old Polish | ≈ 0.5955 m |
| Old Polish foot | Old Polish | ≈ 0.29775 m |
| Old Polish fathom | Old Polish | ≈ 1.7865 m |
| Old Polish mile | Old Polish | ≈ 7,144 m |
| Prague ell | Czech (Bohemian) | ≈ 0.593 m |
| Prague (Bohemian) foot | Czech (Bohemian) | ≈ 0.2965 m |
| Bohemian fathom (sáh) | Czech (Bohemian) | ≈ 1.778 m |
| Rhineland foot | German (Prussian, customs union) | ≈ 0.3138536 m |
| Prussian mile | German (Prussian, customs union) | ≈ 7,532 m |
| Paris foot | French (Paris) | 0.3248394 m |
| toise | French (Paris) | 1.949036 m |
Area – old and regional units
| Unit | Region / system | Value in SI units |
|---|---|---|
| square klafter (čhv) | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 3.596651 m² |
| cadastral yoke (Katastraljoch) | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 5,754.642 m² |
| Viennese square foot | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 0.09990697 m² |
| Austrian square mile | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | ≈ 57,546,420 m² |
| Hungarian yoke (kishold) | Hungarian (Pressburg) | 4,315.981 m² |
| ral (= cadastral yoke) | Croatian and Slavonian | ≈ 5,754.642 m² |
| motika (200 square klafters) | Croatian and Slavonian | ≈ 719.3302 m² |
| lanac (2000 square klafters) | Croatian and Slavonian | ≈ 7,193.302 m² |
| desyatina | Russian | 10,925.4 m² |
| economic desyatina | Russian | ≈ 14,567.2 m² |
| square sazhen | Russian | 4.552249 m² |
| dunam (metric, 1000 m²) | Ottoman (Turkish) | 1,000 m² |
| Ottoman dunam | Ottoman (Turkish) | ≈ 919.3 m² |
| Old Polish morgen | Old Polish | ≈ 5,985 m² |
| Bohemian korec (land area) | Czech (Bohemian) | ≈ 2,878 m² |
| Prussian morgen | German (Prussian, customs union) | ≈ 2,553.22 m² |
| metric morgen | German (Prussian, customs union) | ≈ 2,500 m² |
| Württemberg morgen | German (Prussian, customs union) | ≈ 3,152 m² |
| Baden morgen | German (Prussian, customs union) | ≈ 3,600 m² |
| Bavarian tagwerk | German (Prussian, customs union) | ≈ 3,407 m² |
| Rhineland morgen | German (Prussian, customs union) | ≈ 3,176 m² |
Volume – old and regional units
| Unit | Region / system | Value in SI units |
|---|---|---|
| Viennese cubic klafter | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 6.82099 m³ |
| klafter of firewood (stacked) | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | ≈ 3.410495 m³ |
| Viennese cubic foot | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 0.03157866 m³ |
| Viennese cubic inch | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 0.00001827469 m³ |
| Viennese eimer (vedro) | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 0.056589 m³ |
| Viennese Maß (bokal) | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 0.001414725 m³ |
| Viennese half Maß (polić) | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | ≈ 0.0007073625 m³ |
| Viennese seidel (¼ Maß) | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | ≈ 0.0003536813 m³ |
| Viennese pfiff (⅛ Maß) | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | ≈ 0.0001768406 m³ |
| Viennese metzen | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 0.0614868 m³ |
| Viennese muth | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | ≈ 1.844605 m³ |
| Viennese massel | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | ≈ 0.003842926 m³ |
| Pressburg eimer (Hungarian akó) | Hungarian (Pressburg) | 0.0543 m³ |
| Hungarian icce (holba) | Hungarian (Pressburg) | 0.0008484 m³ |
| Hungarian (Pressburg) pint | Hungarian (Pressburg) | ≈ 0.0016968 m³ |
| Hungarian meszely (half icce) | Hungarian (Pressburg) | ≈ 0.0004242 m³ |
| Pressburg metzen (vagan) | Hungarian (Pressburg) | 0.06253 m³ |
| Venetian barrel (barila) | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.064384 m³ |
| Venetian secchio (sić) | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.0107313 m³ |
| quartuccio (Zadar) | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.0007154 m³ |
| Dalmatian boccale (Obrovac) | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.0014308 m³ |
| Venetian bozza (boća) | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.002682746 m³ |
| Venetian mastello | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.075117 m³ |
| Venetian bigonzo | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.150234 m³ |
| Venetian amphora | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.600936 m³ |
| Venetian botte (cask) | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.75117 m³ |
| Venetian staio (star) | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.08302 m³ |
| vedro | Russian | 0.01229941 m³ |
| shtof | Russian | ≈ 0.001229941 m³ |
| charka | Russian | ≈ 0.000123 m³ |
| Russian bottle (butylka) | Russian | ≈ 0.000615 m³ |
| Russian barrel (bochka) | Russian | ≈ 0.49198 m³ |
| chetvert | Russian | ≈ 0.20991 m³ |
| chetverik | Russian | ≈ 0.026239 m³ |
| Russian garnets | Russian | ≈ 0.003279842 m³ |
| Ottoman kile (Istanbul) | Ottoman (Turkish) | ≈ 0.037 m³ |
| Ottoman şinik | Ottoman (Turkish) | ≈ 0.00925 m³ |
| Old Polish garniec | Old Polish | ≈ 0.0037689 m³ |
| Old Polish kwarta | Old Polish | ≈ 0.0009422 m³ |
| Old Polish korzec | Old Polish | ≈ 0.1206 m³ |
| Old Polish barrel (beczka) | Old Polish | ≈ 0.27136 m³ |
| Bohemian korec (strich) | Czech (Bohemian) | ≈ 0.093592 m³ |
Mass – old and regional units
| Unit | Region / system | Value in SI units |
|---|---|---|
| Viennese pound | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 0.56006 kg |
| Viennese loth | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 0.01750188 kg |
| Viennese quentchen | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | ≈ 0.004375469 kg |
| Viennese ounce (apothecary) | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | ≈ 0.03500375 kg |
| Viennese mark | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | ≈ 0.28067 kg |
| Viennese apothecary pound | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | ≈ 0.42004 kg |
| Viennese hundredweight (Zentner) | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 56.006 kg |
| Venetian heavy pound | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.477 kg |
| Venetian light pound | Dalmatian-Venetian | ≈ 0.301 kg |
| pood | Russian | 16.3807 kg |
| Russian pound | Russian | 0.4095172 kg |
| zolotnik | Russian | ≈ 0.0042658 kg |
| Russian lot | Russian | ≈ 0.0127974 kg |
| dolya | Russian | ≈ 0.000044435 kg |
| berkovets | Russian | ≈ 163.807 kg |
| oka (okka) | Ottoman (Turkish) | 1.2829 kg |
| Ottoman dram (dirham) | Ottoman (Turkish) | ≈ 0.0032072 kg |
| Ottoman kantar | Ottoman (Turkish) | ≈ 56.449 kg |
| Ottoman çeki | Ottoman (Turkish) | ≈ 225.789 kg |
| Ottoman batman | Ottoman (Turkish) | ≈ 7.697 kg |
| Old Polish pound (funt) | Old Polish | ≈ 0.4052 kg |
| Old Polish łut | Old Polish | ≈ 0.0127 kg |
| Old Polish stone (kamień) | Old Polish | ≈ 12.976 kg |
| Old Polish cetnar | Old Polish | ≈ 64.8 kg |
| customs pound (Zollpfund) | German (Prussian, customs union) | 0.5 kg |
| German zentner | German (Prussian, customs union) | 50 kg |
| customs loth (Zolllot) | German (Prussian, customs union) | ≈ 0.016666 kg |
≈ The value varied by region and period; the usual value for the stated region or variant is shown.
Sources
Values of the old units in SI units are taken from these sources:
- dewiki.de › Katastraljoch
- en.wikipedia.org › Hvat
- erdeszetilapok.oszk.hu › 00573 186-192.pdf
- hrcak.srce.hr › 392114
- hrcak.srce.hr › 124482
- hrcak.srce.hr › 138825
- dzm.gov.hr › RazvojMjeriteljstvaNaTluHrvatske.pdf
- en.wikipedia.org › Historical Russian units of measurement
- en.wikipedia.org › Obsolete Serbian units of measurement
- en.wikipedia.org › Ottoman units of measurement
- hrcak.srce.hr › 124504
- en.wikipedia.org › Polish units of measurement
- en.wikipedia.org › Czech units of measurement
- en.wikipedia.org › German units of measurement
- en.wikipedia.org › Traditional French units of measurement
- hrcak.srce.hr › 420468
- mek.oszk.hu › 0002-268.html
- ksh.hu › teruletatszamitasi segedlet.pdf
- mek.oszk.hu › 2-1344.html
- geodetski-vestnik.com › gv49-1 138-142.pdf
- en.wikipedia.org › Morgen
- en.wikipedia.org › Hungarian units of measurement
- hrcak.srce.hr › 124491
- en.wikipedia.org › Dunam
- godisnjak.anubih.ba › 316
- austria-forum.org › Wiener Eimer
- hrcak.srce.hr › 187368
- hrcak.srce.hr › 391878
- dlib.si › PDF
- wiktionary.com › akov
- austria-forum.org › Metzen (Hohlmaß)
- hrcak.srce.hr › 38036
- mnl.gov.hu › 14949
- hrcak.srce.hr › 18680
- geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at › Gewichte
- hrcak.srce.hr › 349821
- en.wikipedia.org › Italian units of measurement
- en.wikipedia.org › Pood
- en.wikipedia.org › Oka (mass)
- hrcak.srce.hr › 124503
- zpe.gov.pl › De8CNdmTi
- en.wikipedia.org › Zentner
How the calculation works
In the “Measurement type” menu choose length, area, volume or mass, enter a number and pick an old unit in the “From unit” list from the traditional group or “Other regions” (quickest by searching for its name). The units are grouped by system: Viennese (Austro-Hungarian), Hungarian, Croatian and Slavonian, Dalmatian-Venetian, Russian, Ottoman, Old Polish, Czech, German and French. The table shows the result in metric and the most common units; the “Show all” switch reveals every other old unit. Below the converter are tables of all old units with their SI values and sources.
Formula and assumptions
Each old unit is stored as its value in an SI unit (m, m², m³ or kg), and a conversion multiplies and divides by those values. Austrian units are derived exactly from the Viennese klafter (1.89648384 m, law of 1871): foot = klafter ÷ 6, inch = klafter ÷ 72, square klafter = klafter², cubic klafter = klafter³. Eimer = 40 Maß of 1.414725 L, hundredweight = 100 pounds of 0.56006 kg. Units whose value varied by region are marked with ≈.
More worked examples
- A wall of 3 klafters: 3 × 1.89648 m = 5.69 m.
- A board of 18 Viennese inches: 18 × 2.634 cm = 47.4 cm.
- A cask of 10 eimers: 10 × 56.589 L = 565.9 L.
- A sack of 2 hundredweights: 2 × 56.006 kg = 112 kg.
- A load of 5 oka: 5 × 1.2829 kg = 6.41 kg.
The most common old units in metric
| Unit | Value | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Viennese klafter | 1.89648 m | 6 feet = 72 inches |
| 1 Viennese foot | 0.31608 m | 12 inches |
| 1 Viennese inch | 2.634 cm | 12 lines |
| 1 Viennese ell | ≈ 0.7792 m | ≈ 2.47 feet |
| 1 square klafter (čhv) | 3.5966 m² | 36 square feet |
| 1 cadastral yoke (Joch) | 5,754.64 m² | 1,600 čhv |
| 1 Viennese eimer | 56.589 L | 40 Maß |
| 1 Maß (bokal) | 1.4147 L | 2 half Maß |
| 1 Viennese pound | 0.56006 kg | 32 loths |
| 1 Viennese hundredweight | 56.006 kg | 100 pounds |
| 1 oka | 1.2829 kg | 400 drams |
| 1 Russian verst | 1,066.8 m | 500 sazhens |
| 1 pood | 16.3807 kg | 40 Russian pounds |
Common mistakes
- Confusing the Viennese inch (2.634 cm) with the English inch (2.54 cm) – today “col” almost always means the English inch.
- Mixing up the Viennese klafter (1.896 m) with the English fathom (1.8288 m) or the Russian sazhen (2.1336 m).
- Treating one Venetian ell as the only correct value – the wool ell (68.45 cm) and the silk ell (63.99 cm) were different measures.
- Converting an old document without checking its period and region: the same word (eimer, star, motika) meant different amounts.
Frequently asked questions
How many metres is a Viennese klafter?
A Viennese klafter is exactly 1.89648384 m (Austrian law of 1871) and divides into 6 feet or 72 inches. A foot is 31.61 cm and an inch 2.634 cm.
How many litres is an eimer (vedro)?
A Viennese eimer holds 40 Maß = 56.589 L, and one Maß (bokal) is 1.4147 L. The Hungarian (Pressburg) eimer holds 54.3 L and the Russian vedro about 12.3 L.
How many kilograms is an old pound?
A Viennese pound is 0.56006 kg and a Viennese hundredweight = 100 pounds = 56.006 kg. The customs pound is 0.5 kg and the English pound 0.45359237 kg.
How long is an ell?
The Viennese ell is about 77.92 cm, the Venetian (wool) ell about 68.45 cm and the Old Polish ell about 59.55 cm. The ell varied from country to country, so check where the document comes from.
Why do the values of old units differ?
Before the metric system (in Croatia from 1876), every country and even town kept its own standards. For such units the converter shows the usual value marked with ≈ and lists the source.
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