Pennyweight

Pennyweight

A pennyweight (dwt) is a unit of mass which is the same as 24 grains, 1/240th of a troy pound, 1/20th of a troy ounce, approximately 0.055 ounces or approximately 1.555 grams.

Historically, a penny's weight was literally (as well as monetarily) 1/240th of a troy pound of sterling silver.

The troy pound (lb) and the pennyweight lost their official status in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the Weights and Measures Act of 1878. Only the troy ounce and its decimal subdivisions remained legal after then, and even now in the 21st century the troy ounce enjoys a specific legal exemption from metrication in the UK.

Jewellers still use the pennyweight in their calculations for the necessary amount of precious metals in casting items using the lost-wax casting process. It is the common weight used in the valuation of precious metals. Dentists and dental labs still use the pennyweight as the measure of precious metals in dental crowns and onlays.

While "dwt" is the most common abbreviation for pennyweight (as "d" was the abbreviation for "penny" in the pre-decimalisation British system), some sources list "pwt" or "PW" as an alternative.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pennyweight — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda La unidad obsoleta pennyweight era una unidad de masa utilizada en el Reino Unido antes de 1971. Se consideraba equivalente a la masa de un penique, y equivale a la 1/240 parte de una libra troy. Se abrevia pwt. Esta …   Wikipedia Español

  • Pennyweight —   [ peniweɪt; englisch »Pfenniggewicht«] das, (s)/ s, Einheitenzeichen dwt, kleine englische Masseneinheit des Troy Systems, 1 Pennyweight = 24 Grains = 1,5552 g.   * * * Pen|ny|weight [ pɛnɪweɪt], das; [s], s [engl. pennyweight, eigtl. =… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Pennyweight — Pen ny*weight , n. A troy weight containing twenty four grains, or the twentieth part of an ounce; as, a pennyweight of gold or of arsenic. It was anciently the weight of a silver penny, whence the name. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pennyweight — ist eine nicht SI konforme Maßeinheit der Masse. Sie stammt aus dem angloamerikanischen Maßsystem (Troy oder Apothecaries Weight), das Einheitenzeichen ist dwt. 1 dwt. = 24 gr. = 1,55517384 Gramm 1 troy pound = 12 oz.tr. = 240 dwt. = 5760 gr. =… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pennyweight — (engl., spr. Pennyweht), nach englischem Troygewicht 24 Grains enthaltend, welcher selbst 20 Mites befaßt; 1 P. entspricht 4361 Richtpfennigen, 1 Grain 187/40 1 Mite 687/800 Rpf …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Pennyweight — (spr. ūët, »Pfenniggewicht«, abgek. dwt.), im englischen Fein und Silberprobiergewicht 1/20 Ounce = 24 Grains Troy oder 1,5552 g, im Perlengewicht zu 30 Pearl Grains ebenso schwer …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Pennyweight — (Dwt), englisches Gewicht = 1/240 Troypfund = 1,56 g …   Lexikon der gesamten Technik

  • Pennyweight — (spr. weht, »Pfenniggewicht«), abgekürzt dwt., engl. Goldgewicht zu 24 Troygrän = 1,5552 g; Probiergewicht zu 1/20 Unze = 41/6 Tausendteilen Feinheit …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • pennyweight — [pen′ē wāt΄] n. a unit of weight, equal to 1/ 20 ounce troy or 24 grains (1.5552 grams): abbrev. pwt …   English World dictionary

  • pennyweight — peniveitas statusas T sritis Standartizacija ir metrologija apibrėžtis Trojos vienetų sistemos (brangiųjų metalų masės) matavimo vienetas. Žymimas pwt: 1 pwt = 1,5551738 g. atitikmenys: angl. pennyweight vok. Pfenniggewicht, n rus. пенивейт, m… …   Penkiakalbis aiškinamasis metrologijos terminų žodynas

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”