View source for Bushel

{{Short description|Unit of volume with numerous different definitions}}
{{hatnote|This article is about the units of measurement. For surnames and other uses, see [[Bushell]] and [[Scheffel (disambiguation)]].}}
{{use American English |date=September 2021}}
{{use mdy dates |date=September 2021}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2009}}
{{Infobox unit
| name = Bushel
| image = [[File:Queensland Government Imperial Bushel AD1875.jpg|250px]]
| caption = Queensland Government Standard Imperial Bushel. [[Queensland Museum]]
| standard = [[imperial units|imperial]] and [[United States customary units|US customary]]
| quantity = volume
| symbol = bsh
| symbol2 = bu
| units_imp1 = imperial units
| inunits_imp1 = {{val|8|u=imperial gallons}}
| units_imp2 = [[metric system|metric units]]
| inunits_imp2 = {{val|36.36872|ul=L}}
| units_imp3 = US gallons
| inunits_imp4 = ≈{{val|9.6076|u=US liquid gallons}}
| units_imp5 = imperial/US units
| inunits_imp5 = ≈{{val|2219.3555|ul=cuin}}
| units_us1 = metric units
| inunits_us1 = {{val|35.23907016688|u=L}}
| units_us3 = US gallons
| inunits_us3 = 9{{sfrac|3571|11550}} gallons
| units_us4 = imperial units
| inunits_us4 = ≈{{val|7.75151|u=imperial gallons}}
| units_us5 = imperial/US units
| inunits_us5 = {{val|2150.42|u=cuin}}
}}
[[File:LA2-NSRW-5-0199.svg|300px|thumb|A full bushel is represented by a basket in the lower right.]]

A '''bushel''' (abbreviation: '''bsh.''' or '''bu.''') is an [[Imperial unit|imperial]] and [[United States customary units|US customary unit]] of [[volume]], based upon an earlier measure of [[dry capacity]]. The old bushel was used mostly for [[agriculture|agricultural]] products, such as [[wheat]]: in modern usage, the volume is nominal, with bushels denoting a mass defined differently for each commodity.

The name "bushel" is also used to translate similar units in other measurement systems.

{{anchor|Etymology}}

==Name==
The word "bushel" as originally used for a container itself, and later a unit of measurement. The name comes from the [[Old French]] ''{{lang|fr|boissiel}}'' and ''{{lang|fr|buissiel}}'', meaning "little box".<ref name=oed>{{Citation |contribution=bushel, ''n.<sup>1</sup>'' |title=Oxford English Dictionary, ''1st ed.'' |date=1888 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press}}.</ref> It may further derive from [[Old French]] ''{{lang|fr|boise}}'', thus meaning "little [[butt (unit)|butt]]".<ref name=oed/>
{{anchor|London bushel}}<!--linked-->

== History ==
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2018}}

The bushel is an intermediate value between the [[pound (mass)|pound]] and [[ton]] or [[tun (unit)|tun]] that was introduced to England following the [[Norman Conquest of England|Norman Conquest]]. [[Norman England|Norman]] [[Weights and Measures Acts (UK)|statutes]] made the '''London&nbsp;bushel''' part of the legal measure of English [[wine]], [[ale]], and [[food grain|grains]]. The [[Assize of Bread and Ale]] credited to [[Henry III of England|Henry&nbsp;III]], {{circa|lk=no|1266}}, defined this bushel in terms of the [[wine gallon]],<ref name=assbread>{{Citation |editor-last=Ruffhead |editor-first=Owen |editor-link=Owen Ruffhead |title=The Statutes at Large |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tKZFAAAAcAAJ |volume=&nbsp;I: From Magna Charta<!--sic--> to the End of the Reign of King Henry the Sixth. To which is prefixed, A Table of the Titles of all the Publick and Private Statutes during that Time |location=London |publisher=Mark Basket for the Crown |date=1763 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tKZFAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA22 22] }}. {{in lang|en}}&nbsp;& {{in lang|la}}</ref> while the {{circa|lk=no|1300}} [[Assize of Weights and Measures]] usually credited to [[Edward I of England|Edward&nbsp;I]] or [[Edward II of England|II]] defined the London bushel in terms of the larger [[corn gallon]].<ref name=tract>{{Citation |editor-last=Ruffhead |editor-first=Owen |editor-link=Owen Ruffhead |title=The Statutes at Large |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tKZFAAAAcAAJ |volume=&nbsp;I: From Magna Charta<!--sic--> to the End of the Reign of King Henry the Sixth. To which is prefixed, A Table of the Titles of all the Publick and Private Statutes during that Time |location=London |publisher=Mark Basket for the Crown |date=1763a |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tKZFAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA148 148–149] }}. {{in lang|en}}&nbsp;& {{in lang|la}}&nbsp;& {{in lang|nrf}}</ref> In either case, a London bushel was reckoned to contain 64&nbsp;pounds, 12&nbsp;[[Tower ounce|ounce]]s, 20&nbsp;[[pennyweight]], and 32&nbsp;[[Tower grain|grains]].

These measures were based on the relatively light [[tower pound]] and were rarely used in [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]], [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]], or [[Medieval Wales|Wales]] during the [[Middle Ages]]. When the Tower system was abolished in the 16th century, the bushel was redefined as 56&nbsp;[[avoirdupois pound]]s.

{{anchor|Imperial bushel}}
The '''[[imperial units|imperial]]&nbsp;bushel''' established by the [[Weights and Measures Act 1824]] described the bushel as the volume of 80&nbsp;[[avoirdupois pound]]s of distilled water in air at {{convert|62|F|abbr=on}}{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}<!-- It seems unlikely that they'd define the bushel as the volume of 80 lb of water rather than simply as 8 imp gal. --> or 8 imperial gallons.<ref name=oed/> This is the bushel in some use in the [[United Kingdom]]. Thus, there is no distinction between liquid and dry measure in the imperial system.{{according to whom|date=August 2018}} <!-- it's simple arithmetic --><!-- bushel is "dry measure" defined in "liquid" imp gal, ergo no distinction. According to whom is this even a question? -->

{{anchor|Winchester bushel|US bushel}}
The '''[[Winchester measure|Winchester]] bushel''' is the volume of a cylinder {{cvt|18.5|in|mm}} in [[diameter]] and {{cvt|8|in|mm}} high, which [[Cylinder#Volume|gives]] an [[irrational number]], of approximately 2150.4202 cubic inches.<ref>The [[Cylinder (geometry)|volume of a cylinder]] is ''V'' = (''π'' · ''r''<sup>2</sup> · ''h'') with ''r'' = ½ · 18.5 inches, ''h'' = 8 inches.</ref> The modern '''American''' or '''[[US customary units|US]] bushel''' is rounded to exactly 2150.42 cubic inches, a difference of less than one part per ten million.<ref>The relative difference is 1 − 2150.42 / ''V'' = 0.797{{e|−7}}.</ref>

In English use, a bushel was a round willow basket with fixed dimensions, and its inside measurements were as follows - base diameter 12 inches, top diameter 18 inches, height 12 inches - thus giving a volume of 8595.4 cubic inches. A basket filled level to the top was a bushel. A basket filled to the top but overfilled to a height where it overflowed was considered to be a bushel and a peck, a generous measure (a similar concept to a baker's dozen). Hence, the old song " I love you, a bushel and a peck...." meant "I am overflowing with love for you".

Sometimes the basket was made 13 inches high, but with a ring of "waling" (a special willow weaving technique) to mark the 12 inches height: these baskets had a volume of 9311.68 cubic inches.

==Volume==
{|
|-
|rowspan=7 valign=top|1 imperial bushel || ≡ 8 imperial gallons
|-
|≡ 36.36872 [[litre]]s
|-
|≈ 9.6076 US gallons
|-
|≈ 2219.3555 [[cubic inch]]es
|-
|≈ 1.28435 [[cubic foot|cubic feet]]
|}

{|
|-
|rowspan=11 valign=top|1 US bushel&nbsp;<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nbsspecialpublication447.pdf |title=Weights and Measures Standards of the United States |last=Judson |first=Lewis |publisher=NBS Special Publication |year=1963 |location=Department of Commerce |pages=35}}</ref>
|-
|≡ 4 US pecks
|-
|≡ 32 US dry quarts
|-
|≡ 64 US dry pints
|-
|≡ {{val|35.23907016688}} litres
|-
|≡ 9{{sfrac|3571|11550}} US gallons
|-
|≡ 37{{sfrac|1367|5775}} US liquid quarts
|-
|≡ 74{{sfrac|2734|5775}} US liquid pints
|-
|≈ {{val|7.7515118}} imperial gallons
|-
|≡ 2150.42 cubic inches
|-
|≡ 1{{sfrac|21121|86400}} cubic feet
|-
|}

==Weight==

[[File:Bushel Table of States.jpg|300px|thumb|right|A table of weights from the secretaries of the different states, showing the number of pounds which their laws recognize as a bushel of different articles, {{circa| 1854}}.]]

Bushels are now most often used as units of [[mass]] or [[weight]] rather than of volume. The bushels in which grains are bought and sold on [[commodity]] markets or at local [[grain elevator]]s, and for reports of grain production, are all units of weight.<ref name=G4020>{{cite web |url=http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/crops/g04020.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070525150336/http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/crops/g04020.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 May 2007 |title=Tables for Weights and Measurement: Crops |author=William J. Murphy |publisher=University of Missouri Extension |access-date=18 December 2008 }}</ref> This is done by assigning a standard weight to each commodity that is to be measured in bushels. These bushels depend on the commodities being measured, and on the moisture content of the commodity. Some of the more common ones are:

* [[Oat]]s:
** US: 32&nbsp;lb<ref name="G4020" /> ({{cvt|32|lb|kg|sigfig=6|disp=out}})
** Canada: 34&nbsp;lb<ref>Marketing Oats in Canada http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/sis10952</ref> ({{cvt|34|lb|kg|sigfig=6|disp=out}})
** UK: 38&nbsp;lb<ref>{{Google books|id=epEBAAAAQAAJ|title=Manual of Commerce|page=145|text=The Board of Trade rates are}}</ref> ({{cvt|38|lb|kg|sigfig=6|disp=out}})
* [[Barley]]: 48&nbsp;lb<ref name="G4020" /> ({{cvt|48|lb|kg|sigfig=6|disp=out}})
* [[Malted barley]]: 34&nbsp;lb ({{cvt|34|lb|kg|sigfig=6|disp=out}})
* Shelled [[maize]] (corn) at 15.5% moisture by weight: 56&nbsp;lb<ref name="G4020" /> ({{cvt|56|lb|kg|sigfig=6|disp=out}})
* [[Wheat]] at 13.5% moisture by weight: 60&nbsp;lb<ref name="G4020" /> ({{cvt|60|lb|kg|sigfig=6|disp=out}})
* [[Soybeans]] at 13% moisture by weight: 60&nbsp;lb<ref>{{cite web |title=Calculating Harvest Yields |url=https://purr.purdue.edu/publications/1600/serve/1/3332 |publisher=Purdue University |access-date=2021-09-25 }}</ref> ({{cvt|60|lb|kg|sigfig=6|disp=out}})

Other specific values are defined (and those definitions may vary within different jurisdictions, including from state to state in the United States) for other grains, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables, coal, hair and many other commodities.

Government policy in the United States is to phase out units such as the bushel and replace them with [[metric system|metric]] mass equivalents.<ref>{{cite web |title=48 CFR § 611.002-70 - Metric system implementation: US 1988 law on metrification |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/48/611.002-70 |website=Cornell Law School |location= Ithaca, New York |access-date=2021-09-25 }}</ref>

==Other units==
{{anchor|German bushel|Scheffel}}<!--linked-->
The [[German units|German]] bushel is the ''{{lang|de|Scheffel}}''. A Prussian scheffel was equal to 54.96 litres.<ref>{{cite book| title=Modern Metrology | author=Lowis D'Aguilar Jackson |year=1882 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TkDAAAAQAAJ&dq=weight+of+a+scheffel&pg=PA179 |page=179}}</ref>

{{anchor|Polish unit|Korzec}}<!--linked-->
The [[Old Polish units|Polish]] bushel (''{{lang|pl|korzec}}'') was used as measure of [[dry capacity]]. It is divided into 4 [[quarter (unit)|quarters]] (''{{lang|pl|ćwierć}}'') and in the early 19th century had a value of 128&nbsp;litres in [[Warsaw]]<ref>{{Citation |last=Alexander |first=John Henry |contribution=Weight and Measure Systems: Warsaw |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V3sXAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA152 |pages=151–152 |title=Universal Dictionary of Weights and Measures, Ancient and Modern; Reduced to the Standards of the United States of America |location=Baltimore |publisher=John D. Tot for Wm. Minifie & Co. |date=1850 }}.</ref> and 501.116 litres in [[Kraków]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Rykaczewski |first=Erazm |contribution=Korzec |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ao1HAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA98 |page=98 |title=Dokładny Słownik Polsko-Anglielski i Anglielsko-Polski, Czerpany z Najlepszych Źrodeł Krajowych i Obcych |publisher=W. Księgarni b. Behra |location=Berlin |date=1851 }}. {{in lang|pl}}&nbsp;& {{in lang|en}}</ref>

{{anchor|Spanish bushel}}
The [[Spanish units|Spanish]] bushel (''{{lang|es|[[fanega]]}}'') was used as a measure of dry capacity. It is roughly equal to 55.5 litres in [[Kingdom of Castille|Castille]].

The [[Wales|Welsh]] [[hobbit (unit)|hobbit]] was equivalent to two-and-a-half bushels when used for volume; when used for measuring weight the hobbit was dependent on the grain being weighed.

==See also==
* [[Coomb (unit)]]
* [[Hobbit (unit)]]
* [[Lamp under a bushel]]
* [[Winchester measure]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709164904/http://www.unc.edu:80/~rowlett/units/scales/bushels.html|date=July 9, 2018|title=U.S. Commercial Bushel Sizes for Agricultural Crops}}

{{Imperial units}}
{{United States Customary Units}}

[[Category:Units of volume]]
[[Category:Imperial units]]
[[Category:Customary units of measurement in the United States]]
[[Category:Grain production]]