Troy weight is a system of units of mass customarily used for precious metals, gemstones, and black powder.
There are 12 troy ounces per troy pound, rather than the 16 ounces per pound found in the more common avoirdupois system. The troy ounce is 480 grains, compared with the avoirdupois ounce, which is 437½ grains. Both systems use the same grain defined by the international yard and pound agreement of 1959 as exactly 0.06479891 gram. Although troy ounces are still used to weigh gold, silver, and gemstones, the troy pound is no longer used in most other applications.
Read more about Troy Weight: Etymology, History, Units of Measurement, Scottish System, Dutch System, Conversions
Famous quotes containing the words troy and/or weight:
“The soldier takes pride in saluting his Captain,
The devotee proffers a knee to his Lord,
Some back a mare thrown from a thoroughbred,
Troy backed its Helen, Troy died and adored;
Great nations blossom above,
A slave bows down to a slave.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“But I saw the little-Ant men as they ran
Carrying the world’s weight of the world’s filth
And the filth in the heart of Man—
Compressed till those lusts and greeds had a greater heat
than that of the Sun.”
—Dame Edith Sitwell (1887–1964)