German units of measurement

The units of measurement of German-speaking countries consist of a variety of units, with varying local standard definitions. While many were made redundant with the introduction of the metric system, some of these units are still used in everyday speech and even in stores and on street markets as shorthand for similar amounts in the metric system. For example, some customers ask for one pound (ein Pfund) of something when they want 500 grams.

The metric system became compulsory on 1 January 1872, in Germany and on 1 January 1876, in Austria.

Some obsolete German units have names similar to units that were traditionally used in other countries, and that are still used in a limited number of cases in the United Kingdom (imperial units) and in the United States (United States customary units).

German system

Before the introduction of the metric system in Germany, almost every town had its own definitions of the units shown below. Often towns posted local definitions on a wall of the city hall. For example, the front wall of the old city hall of Rudolstadt (still standing) has two marks which show the "Rudolstädter Elle", the proper length of the Elle in that city. Supposedly by 1810 there were 112 different standards for the Elle around Germany.

"... the measure of cloth, for example, was elle which in each region stood for a different length. An elle of textile material brought in Frankfurt would get you 54.7 cm of cloth, in Mainz 55.1 cm, in Nuremberg 65.6 cm, in Freiburg 53.5 cm ..."

Length

Meile (mile)

A German geographic mile (geographische Meile) is defined as 1⁄15 equatorial degrees, equal to Template:Convert. A common German mile, land mile, or post mile (Gemeine deutsche Meile, Landmeile, Postmeile) was defined in various ways at different places and different times. After the introduction of the metric system in the 19th century, the Landmeile was generally fixed at Template:Val (the Reichsmeile), but before then there were many local and regional variants (of which some are shown below):

Some kinds of Meile
Place	Metric REDIRECT Template:Breakequivalent	Notes
Breslau (Wrocław)	Template:Val	Used in all Silesia
Bavaria (Bayern)	Template:Val	Connected to a 1⁄15 equatorial degree as 25,406 Bavarian feet.
Württemberg	Template:Val
Reichsmeile	Template:Val	'imperial mile' – New mile when the metric system was introduced. Prohibited by law in 1908.
Anhalt	Template:Val
Denmark, Prussia	Template:Val	24,000 Prussian feet. Also known as "(Dänische/Preußische) Landmeile". In 1816, king Frederick William III of Prussia adopted the Danish mile at Template:Val, or Template:Val.
Saxony (Sachsen)	Template:Val	In the 17th–18th century or so, Template:Val = Template:Val; later Template:Val (as in Prussia and the rest of Germany).
Schleswig-Holstein	Template:Val
Baden	Template:Val	Template:Val before 1810, Template:Val before 1871
Hesse-Kassel	Template:Val
Lippe-Detmold	Template:Val
Saxony (Sachsen)	Template:Val	Template:Val (in the 19th century Template:Val, see above).
Westfalia (Westfalen)	Template:Val	but also Template:Val
Oldenburg	Template:Val
Rhineland (Rheinland)	Template:Val
Palatinate (Pfalz)	Template:Val
Osnabrück/France	Template:Val
Wiesbaden	Template:Val

Wegstunde

One hour's travel, used up to the 19th century. In Germany 1⁄2 Meile or Template:Convert. After 1722 in Saxony 1⁄2 post mile = 1000 Dresden rods = Template:Val. In Switzerland Template:Convert.

Fuß (foot)

The Fuß or German foot varied widely from place to place in the German-speaking world, and also with time. In some places, more than one type of Fuß was in use. One source from 1830 gives the following values:

Some kinds of Fuß
Place	Name	Local equivalent	Metric equivalent
Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle)	Feldmaßfuß	1⁄6 Klafter	Template:Val
Aachen	Baufuß	1⁄16 Ruthe	Template:Val
Aargau, Canton of	Fuß		Template:Val
Aichstadt, Bavaria	old Fuß		Template:Val
Altona, Holstein	Fuß		Template:Val
Anspach, Bavaria	Werkfuß		Template:Val
Appenzell, Canton of	Fuß		Template:Val
Aschaffenburg, Bavaria	Fuß		Template:Val
Augsburg, Bavaria	Werkschuh		Template:Val
Baden	Reichsfuß	10 Zoll, 1⁄10 Ruthe	Template:Val
Baireuth, Bavaria	Fuß		Template:Val
Bamberg, Bavaria	Fuß		Template:Val
Basel, Canton of	Stadtschuh		Template:Val
Bavaria	Fuß		Template:Val
Bergamo, Austria	Fuß	1⁄6 Cavezzo	Template:Val
Berlin	Prussian Reichsfuß		Template:Val
Bern, Canton of	gewöhnlicher Fuß	12 Zoll	Template:Val
Bern, Canton of	Steinbrecherfuß	13 Zoll	Template:Val
Bohemia	Fuß or Stopa		Template:Val
Bozen, Austria	Tyroler-Fuß		Template:Val
Braunschweig (Brunswick)	Fuß	1⁄16 Ruthe	Template:Val
Bremen	Fuß	1⁄16 Ruthe	Template:Val
Breslau	old Silesian Fuß	1⁄16 Ruthe	Template:Val
Bünden, Canton of	churischer Fuß		Template:Val
Calenberg Land	Fuß	1⁄16 Ruthe	Template:Val
Carlsruhe (as Baden)	Fuß		Template:Val
Cassel, Hessen	Fuß	1⁄14 Ruthe	Template:Val
Cleve, Prussia	Fuß		Template:Val
Cöln am Rhein (Cologne), Prussia	Fuß		Template:Val
Cremona, Austria	old Fuß		Template:Val
Danzig, Prussia	old Fuß	1⁄2 Elle	Template:Val
Darmstadt	Hessian Reichsfuß	10 Zoll	Template:Val
Darmstadt	old Darmstadt Fuß	12 Zoll	Template:Val
Dordrecht, Netherlands	Fuß		Template:Val
Dresden, Saxony	Fuß		Template:Val
Duderstadt, Hanover	Fuß		Template:Val
Durlach (as Baden)	Fuß		Template:Val
Durlach	old Fuß		Template:Val
Emden, Hanover	Fuß		Template:Val
Erfurt, Prussia	old Fuß	1⁄14 Feldruthe, 1⁄16 Bauruthe	Template:Val
Frankfurt am Main	Fuß		Template:Val
Freiburg, Canton of	Werkfuß	12 Zoll, 1⁄10 Werkklafter	Template:Val
Friedberg in der Wetterau, Oberhessen	Fuß		Template:Val
Friedrichsstadt, Denmark	Fuß		Template:Val
Fulda, Kurhessen	Werkfuß	1⁄2 Elle	Template:Val
Genf (Geneva), Canton of	Fuß	1⁄8 Ruthe	Template:Val
Gießen, Oberhessen	Fuß		Template:Val
Glarus, Canton of	Fuß		Template:Val
Glatz, Prussia	Werkfuß		Template:Val
Göttingen, Hanover	Fuß		Template:Val
Gotha, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha	Fuß		Template:Val
Halle an der Saale, Prussia	Werkfuß		Template:Val
Halle an der Saale, Prussia	Feldfuß		Template:Val
Hamburg	Fuß	1⁄6 Klafter, 1⁄16 Geestruthe	Template:Val
Hanau, Hessen	Fuß	2⁄25 Ruthe	Template:Val
Hanover, capital of the Kingdom	Fuß	1⁄2 Elle, 1⁄16 Ruthe	Template:Val
Heidelberg, Baden	Fuß		Template:Val
Heilbronn, Württemberg	Fuß		Template:Val
Heiligenstadt, Prussia	old Fuß		Template:Val
Herford, Prussia	old Fuß		Template:Val
Hildesheim, Hanover	Fuß	1⁄16 Ruthe	Template:Val
Holstein	Fuß		Template:Val
Innsbruck, Austria	Tyroler-Fuß		Template:Val
Königsberg, Prussia	old Fuß	1⁄15 Ruthe	Template:Val
Krakau	Fuß or Stopa		Template:Val
Lausanne, Canton of Waadt	Fuß		Template:Val
Leipzig, Saxony	gewöhnlicher Fuß	1⁄2 Elle, 1⁄6 Klafter 1⁄16 Ruthe	Template:Val
Lemberg, Austria	Galizian Fuß		Template:Val
Lemgo, Lippe	Fuß		Template:Val
Lindau, Bavaria	Fuß		Template:Val
Lindau, Bavaria	Feldmeßschuh, Bauschuh		Template:Val
Linz, Austria	Fuß	Klafter	Template:Val
Lübeck	Fuß		Template:Val
Lucern, Canton of	Fuß (for wood measure)		Template:Val
Lucern, Canton of	Zimmerwerkschuh		Template:Val
Lucern, Canton of	Bau- and Feldmeßschuh		Template:Val
Milan, Austria	old Fuß		Template:Val
Mainz, Hessen	Werkfuß		Template:Val
Mainz, Hessen	Kameralfuß (for firewood)		Template:Val
Mannheim, Baden	Fuß		Template:Val
Mecklenburg	Fuß	1⁄2 Elle, 1⁄16 Ruthe	Template:Val
Metz, France	old Fuß		Template:Val
Mühlhausen, Prussia	Fuß	1⁄16 Ruthe	Template:Val
Neufchatel, Principality of	Werkfuß		Template:Val
Neufchatel, Principality of	Feldmeßfuß		Template:Val
Nordhausen, Prussia	old Fuß		Template:Val
Nuremberg, Bavaria	Stadtfuß	1⁄16 Ruthe	Template:Val
Nuremberg, Bavaria	Artillery Fuß		Template:Val
Oldenburg	Fuß	1⁄20 Ruthe	Template:Val
Osnabrück, Hanover	Fuß		Template:Val
Padua, Austria	Fuß	1⁄6 Cavezzo	Template:Val
Prague, Austria	Bohemian Fuß or Česká stopa		Template:Val
Prussia, Rheinland	Reichsfuß		Template:Val
Ratzeburg, Mecklenburg-Schwerin	Fuß		Template:Val
Regensburg, Bavaria	Fuß		Template:Val
Rheinbaiern	Fuß	12 Zoll, 1⁄3 metre	Template:Val
Rheinland	Rheinländischer Fuß		Template:Val
Rostock, Mecklenburg-Schwerin	Fuß	1⁄2 Elle, 1⁄16 Ruthe	Template:Val
Sanct Gallen, Canton of	Fuß		Template:Val
Schaffhausen, Canton of	Fuß		Template:Val
Silesia (Austrian part)	Fuß		Template:Val
Solothurn, Canton of	Fuß		Template:Val
Stade, Hanover	Fuß		Template:Val
Stettin, Prussia	old Pomeranian Fuß		Template:Val
Stralsund, Prussia	old Fuß		Template:Val
Strassburg, France	Fuß		Template:Val
Stuttgart	Reichsfuß	1⁄2 Elle, 1⁄10 Ruthe	Template:Val
Tessin, Canton of	Fuß		Template:Val
Thorn, Prussia	old Fuß		Template:Val
Trento, Austria	Fuß		Template:Val
Trier, Prussia	Land- and Werkfuß		Template:Val
Trier, Prussia	Waldfuß		Template:Val
Trier, Prussia	Zimmermannsfuß		Template:Val
Tyrol, Austria	Fuß		Template:Val
Udine, Austria	Fuß		Template:Val
Ulm, Württemberg	Fuß		Template:Val
Venice, Austria	Fuß	1⁄5 Passo	Template:Val
Verden, Hanover	Fuß		Template:Val
Verona, Austria	Fuß	1⁄6 Cavezzo	Template:Val
Vienna, Austria	Fuß	1⁄6 Klafter	Template:Val
Waadt, Canton of	Fuß	10 Zoll, 1⁄10 Ruthe	Template:Val
Wallis, Canton of	Fuß		Template:Val
Weimar	Fuß		Template:Val
Wesel, Prussia	old Fuß		Template:Val
Wetzlar, Prussia	old Fuß		Template:Val
Wiesbaden, Nassau	Fuß		Template:Val
Wismar, Mecklenburg-Schwerin	Fuß		Template:Val
Wittenberg, Prussia	old Fuß		Template:Val
Worbis, Prussia	old Fuß		Template:Val
Württemberg	Reichsfuß	1⁄2 Elle, 1⁄10 Ruthe	Template:Val
Würzburg, Bavaria	Fuß	1⁄2 Elle	Template:Val
Zug, Canton of	Fuß		Template:Val
Zug, Canton of	Steinfuß		Template:Val
Zürich, Canton of	Fuß	1⁄6 Klafter, 1⁄10 Ruthe	Template:Val
Except where noted, based on Niemann (1830). The values of the other local units mentioned also varied widely.

Rute (rod)

File:MuensterRathausPreussischeHalbeRute2805.jpg

A standard at the City Hall in Münster, Germany from 1816; the bar shown is one "Prussian half rod" long.

The Rute or Ruthe is of Carolingian origin, and was used as a land measure. Many different kinds of Ruthe were used at various times in various parts of the German-speaking world. They were subdivided into differing numbers of local Fuß, and were of many different lengths. One source from 1830 lists the following:

Some kinds of Ruthe
Place	Name	Local equivalent	Metric equivalent
Aachen (Aix-la-Capelle)	Feldmeßruthe	16 Fuß	Template:Val
Baden	Ruthe	10 Fuß	Template:Val
Basel, Canton of	Ruthe	16 Fuss	Template:Val
Bern, Canton of	Ruthe	10 Fuss	Template:Val
Braunschweig (Brunswick)	Ruthe	16 Fuß	Template:Val
Bremen	Ruthe	8 Ellen or 16 Fuß	Template:Val
Calenberg	Ruthe	16 Fuß	Template:Val
Cassel, Hessen	Ruthe	14 Fuß	Template:Val
Hamburg	Geestruthe	16 Fuß	Template:Val
Hamburg	Marschruthe	14 Fuß	Template:Val
Hannover	Ruthe	16 Fuß	Template:Val
Lever, Oldenburg	Ruthe	20 Fuß	Template:Va
Mecklenburg	Ruthe	16 Fuß	Template:Val
Nuremberg, Bavaria	Ruthe	16 Fuß	Template:Val
Oldenburg	Ruthe	20 Fuß	Template:Val
Prussia, Rheinland	Ruthe	12 Fuß	Template:Val
Saxony	Ruthe	16 Leipziger Fuß	Template:Val
Württemberg	Reichsruthe	10 Fuß	Template:Val
Württemberg	old Ruthe	16 Fuß	Template:Val
Zürich, Canton of	Ruthe	10 Fuss	Template:Val
Except where noted, based on Niemann (1830). The value of the local Fuß also varied widely.

Klafter

Typically 6 feet. Regional variants from Template:Val in Baden to Template:Val in Switzerland.

Lachter

The Lachter was the most common unit of length used in mining in German-speaking areas. Its exact length varied from place to place but was roughly between Template:Val.

Elle (ell)

Distance between elbow and fingertip. In the North, often 2 feet, In Prussia 17⁄8 feet, in the South variable, often 2+1⁄2 feet. The smallest known German Elle is Template:Convert, the longest Template:Convert.

Zoll (inch)

Usually 1⁄12 foot, but also 1⁄11 and 1⁄10.

Linie

Usually 1⁄12 inch, but also 1⁄10.

Volume

Quent

Being 1/5 of any measure

Malter

Is a larger volume unit of around one large sack of wheat a person could carry. However, the exact volumetric size and weight was locally very different in each feudal state. For more details, see [1].

Klafter

For firewood, Template:Convert

Nösel

In general, the Nösel (also spelled Össel) was a measure of liquid volume equal to half a Kanne ("jar," "jug," "bottle," "can"). Volume often varied depending on whether it was beer or wine. Its subdivisions were the Halbnösel ("Half-Nösel") and the Viertelnösel ("Quarter-Nösel).

An Ahm was a measure used for wine or beer. An Eimer ("Bucket") was a container that was a fifth of an Ahm. A Viertel ("Fourth") was a fourth of an Eimer. A Stübchen ("Cozy Room") also a Stauf was a measure of wine or beer that was equal to 2 Kannen. It was the approximate amount of wine or beer that could serve an entire room in a tavern. A Kanne was a measure of wine or beer large enough to fill a humpen (tankard) or krug (wine flagon or beer pitcher). A Quartier ("quarter-measure") was a fourth of a Stübchen. A Nösel was a cup or mug of wine or beer.

Actual volumes so measured, however, varied from one state or even one city to another. Within Saxony, for example, the "Dresden jar" held approximately Template:Convert, so a nösel in Dresden was about Template:Convert. The full volume of a "Leipzig jar" measured Template:Convert; the Leipzig nösel was therefore Template:Convert.

1⁄320 Ahm = 1⁄64 Eimer = 1⁄16 Viertel = 1⁄8 Stübchen / Stauf = 1⁄4 Kannen = 1⁄2 Quartiers = 1 Nösel = 2 Halbnöseln = 4 Viertelnöseln

The nösel was used in minor commerce, as well as in the household to measure meal, grain, and such. These units of measure were officially valid in Saxony until 1868, when the metric system was introduced. Nevertheless, the old measures have continued in private use for decades.

One modification was introduced in Thuringia. There, the nösel was, by extension, also a measure of area; namely, the area of land which could be sown with one nösel of seed – or about Template:Convert

Mass

Pfund

• Pfund (Prussia): Template:Val
• Zollpfund: Template:Val

Mark

1⁄2 Pfund. Equal to Template:Val (Cologne).

Unze

1⁄16 Pfund. Roughly equal to Template:Val.

Loth

1⁄32 Pfund, or 1⁄16 Mark. Equal to Template:Val (Prussia).

Quentchen

1⁄96 Pfund. Roughly equal to Template:Val.

Quint

1⁄128 Pfund. Roughly equal to Template:Val.

Pfennig

1⁄512 Pfund. Roughly equal to Template:Val.

Gran

1⁄7690 Pfund. Roughly equal to Template:Val.

See also

• Historical weights and measures
• List of obsolete units of measurement
• SI
• Weights and measures

Bibliography

• François Cardarelli: Encyclopedia of Scientific Units, Weights and Measures. Their SI Equivalences and Origins. Springer, Berlin 2003. Template:ISBN
• Helmut Kahnt, Bernd Knorr: Alte Masse, Münzen und Gewichte. . Bibliographisches Institut Mannheim/Wien/Zürich 1987. (Lizenzausgabe von VEB Bibliographisches Institut Leipzig 1986) Template:In lang
• Wolfgang Trapp: Kleines Handbuch der Maße, Zahlen Gewichte und der Zeitrechnung. Von . Reclam Stuttgart, 2. Auflage 1996. Template:ISBN Template:In lang
• Günther Scholz, Klaus Vogelsang: Kleines Lexikon: Einheiten, Formelzeichen. Fachbuchverlag Leipzig 1991 Template:ISBN Template:In lang
• Johann Christian Nelkenbrechers Taschenbuch eines Banquiers und Kaufmanns: enthaltend eine Erklärung aller ein- und ausländischen Münzen, des Wechsel-Courses, Usos, Respect-Tage und anderer zur Handlung gehörigen Dinge; mit einer genauen Vergleichung des Ellen-Maaßes, Handels-, Gold- und Silber-Gewichts, auch Maaße von Getreide und flüssigen Sachen derer fürnehmsten europäischen Handels-Plätze. Nachdruck der Ausgabe 1769: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, Düsseldorf 2004. Template:ISBN Template:In lang

External links

• Projekt zur Erschliessung historisch wertvoller Altkartenbestände Template:Webarchive Template:In lang