Swedish units of measurement
Traditional death penalty for falsifying weights or measures. After a decision by the parliament in 1875,[1] Sweden adopted the metric system on 22 November 1878, with a ten-year transition period until 1 January 1889.
As part of the transition, the
Swedish mil measurement was maintained, but was shortened from 18000 alnar – the equivalent of 10.69 km (6.64 mi) – to exactly 10 kilometres (6.2 mi). This measurement is still in use in both Sweden and Norway (which were in a union
at the time).
Old length units
The Swedish units of length included the following:
- aln – "forearm" (cf. Carl IX of Sweden in Norrköping1604, based on Rydaholmsalnen.
- famn – "fathom", 3 alnar.
- fot – "foot", 1⁄2 aln. Before 1863, the Stockholm fot was the commonly accepted unit, at 29.69 cm (0.974 ft).
- kvarter – "quarter", 1⁄4 aln.
- tum or verktum – "inch", 1⁄6 kvarter or 1⁄12 fot, making it 2.47 centimetres (0.97 inches).
- linje – "line", after 1863 1⁄10 tum, 2.96 mm (0.117 in). Before that, 1⁄12 tum or 2.06 mm.
- mil – "mile", also lantmil. From 1699, defined as a unity mile of 18000 alnar or 10.69 km (6.64 mi). The unified mile was meant to define the suitable distance between inns. After the 1889 metric conversion the kilometers.
- nymil – "new mile" from 1889, 10 km exactly. Commonly used to this day, only referred to as mil.
- kyndemil – the distance a torch will last, approx 16 km (9.9 mi).
- skogsmil, rast – distance between rests in the woods, approx. 5 km (3.1 mi).
- fjärdingsväg – 1⁄4 mil.
- stenkast – "stone's throw", about 50 m (164 ft), used to this day as an approximate measure.
- rev – 160 fot, for land measurement, was 100 fot after 1855.
- stång – 16 fot, for land measurement.
- tum – "thumb" (inch), 1⁄12 fot, 2.474 cm (0.974 in). After 1863 1⁄10 fot, 2.96 cm, not much accepted by professional users in mechanics and carpentry who later switched to English inch (2.54 cm, abandoned only late 20th century) and metric system.
- tvärhand – "hand", 4.0 in.
Old area units
- kannaland – 1000 fot 2, or 88.15 m2 (948.8 sq ft)
- kappland – 154.3 m2 (1,661 sq ft).
- spannland – 16 kappland
- tunnland – 2 spannland or 4,937.6 m2 (53,148 sq ft), about 1 acre
- kvadratmil – Square mil, 36 million square favnar, from 1739.
- hektar - 100x100m, still commonly used for land area of farms.
Old volume units
unit | relation to previous | metric value | Imperial Value |
---|---|---|---|
pot | - | 0.966 L | 0.850 |
tunna | 2 spann | - | |
ankare | - | 39.26 L | 34.54 |
ohm | 155 pottor | 149.73 L | 131.74 |
storfamn | - | 3770 L (3.77 m³) | 3,320 US gal or 133 cu ft )
|
kubikfamn | - | 5850 L (5.85 m³) | 5,150 US gal or 207 cu ft )
|
Old weight units
- mark – 1/2 skålpund. Was used from the Viking era, when it was approx. 203 g (7.2 oz).
unit | relation to previous | metric value | Imperial Value |
---|---|---|---|
skeppspund | 20 lispund | 170.03 kg | 374.852 lb |
bismerpund | 12 skålpund | 5.101 kg. | 11.246 lb |
lispund | 20 skålpund | 8.502 kg | 18.744 lb |
skålpund | 2 mark | 0.42507 kg | 0.937 lb |
mark | 50 ort | 212.5 g | 7.496 oz |
ort | 4.2508 g | 65.6 gr |
Nautical units still in use
unit | relationship | metric value | Imperial Value |
---|---|---|---|
nautisk mil | 1852 m | 2,025 yd | |
distansminut | 1852 m | 2,025 yd | |
sjömil (modern) | 1852 m | 2,025 yd |
Old monetary units
- daler – From 1534, Swedish thaler. From 1873, replaced by the krona.
- riksdaler – From 1624, 1+1⁄2 daler, from 1681 2 daler, from 1715 3 daler, from 1776 6 daler
- skilling – From 1776, 1⁄48 riksdaler
- mark – From 1534, 1⁄3 daler. From 1604, 1⁄4 daler.
- öre – From 1534, 1⁄8 mark. Subsequently replaced by the skilling, but from 1855 reintroduced as 1⁄100 riksdaler.
See also
- Historical weights and measures
- Petrograd Standard
- SI
- Weights and measures
References
- ^ "Riksdagens protokoll 1875:54". May 19, 1875. p. 58. Retrieved November 15, 2019.