Pound
Mass · Also called: avoirdupois pound, ounce
That is
453.6 g
1 pound (pound)
The other way round: 1 kg is 2.2046 pounds.
- Period: 1959 to today
- Region: the UK
- Goods: general trade
Values
| Value | That is | Period | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| pound | 453.6 g | 1959 to today | general trade · the UK |
| ounce | 28.35 g | 1959 to today | the UK |
What the unit was used for
The avoirdupois pound is the ordinary commercial weight of England and has been the base of the UK weight system since the Weights and Measures Act 1878 made the pound and the yard the two fundamental standards.
The name is Anglo-Norman French, aveir de peis, goods of weight, which says what it was for: wool, metals, groceries, anything bulky sold by weight rather than by count.
Its sixteen-ounce division sets it apart from the twelve-ounce troy pound, and the ounces differ too, 437.5 grains against 480, so an avoirdupois ounce is the lighter one while an avoirdupois pound is the heavier.
The exact modern value comes from the 1959 international yard and pound agreement, which the UK and the US share precisely, so pounds convert identically on both sides of the Atlantic even though very little else does.
In the system
1 pound = 16 ounces = 7000 grains; 1 ounce = 437.5 grains = 16 drams