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About the Stone
The stone (st) is a unit of measure used most commonly in the United Kingdom and Ireland to express a measure of body weight. It was approved by the EU for use as an additional unit, however, is now rarely used outside the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Where did the Stone originate?
In historical times actual stones were used as weights, a practice that was adopted worldwide for more than 2000 years.
Up until the 19th century the unit of the stone was frequently used in the trade industry as a measure of weight in Europe. Each country had their own weight of the stone and it even varied between regions, between what was being weighted and what was being traded. As a result, the metric system was adopted in most European countries.
It was in England in 1389 that a stone of wool was characterized as weighing fourteen pounds (lbs). Despite the fact that a stone of different materials would not necessarily weigh exactly fourteen pounds, the stone nevertheless became accepted as weighing exactly 14 lbs.
Key information
- Symbol: st
- Unit of: weight
- 1 stone = 14 pounds or the equivalent of 6.35029kg
- 2 stone = a quarter
- 8 stone = a hundredweight
- 160 stone = a long ton
Did you know?
The stone is also used in sports. In horse racing it is used to describe the weight that a horse has to carry. The weight includes the jockey as well as overweight, penalties and allowances. It is also used to express human bodyweight in sports such as boxing and wrestling, mostly in the UK and Ireland.
In the UK and Ireland people will often use stone and pounds (e.g. 11 st 5 lbs) to express their weight. In contrast people in the United States will most commonly use just pounds (eg. 159 lbs).
Although the Stone has not been reconised in the UK as a unit of weight since 1985, it is still the most common and popular way of expressing weight in the UK and Ireland.
Examples of common body weights
The stone is a unit of weight in the imperial system used informally in the UK and Ireland, almost exclusively as a measure of body weight. Although sanctioned by the EU for use as a supplementary unit it is essentially obsolete outside the UK and Ireland.
Definition:
- A female who is 5 ft 6 would weigh between 8 and 11 stone according to the BMI table.
- A male who is 6 ft 2 would weigh between 10 and 14 stone according to the BMI table.
About Kilograms
The kilogram is the principal unit of mass in the metric system and uses the symbol kg. The metric system was formally known as the International System of Units (SI). The kilogram is generally used as a measure in engineering, science and commerce worldwide. In everyday use the kilogram is often referred to as a kilo and is used globally as a unit of measurement for weight and mass with the exception of a few counties, such as the United States.
Where did the Kilogram originate?
The kilogram originates from the French word “kilogramme”. In 1793 the French introduced the gravet as a provisional system of units. A gravet was defined as the weight of a cubic centimetre of water. However, in 1795 the term gramme replaced the gravet and the kilogramme replaced the grave.
In 1795 the kilogram was first used in English and was defined as the mass of one litre of water. This provided a simple definition but when used in practice it proved to be difficult as trade and commerce often involved larger items. Using a mass standard made of water was inconvenient and unstable. As a result of this a provisional mass standard was made out of a single piece of metal equal to a kilogram. This platinum-iridium metal, called the International Prototype Kilogram, has been kept in Sèvres, France since 1889.
Key information
- Symbol: kg, kilo
- Unit of: weight, mass
- 1kg = 1000g (grams or grammes)
- 1000kg = 1 metric tonne (US: metric ton)
Did you know?
The kilogram is defined by a physical object and is the only SI Unit to be defined in that way. All others are defined by a fundamental physical property that can be reproduced in laboratories.
Sugar is often sold in bags of 1kg.
An average basketball normally weighs around 1kg.
Examples of common body weights
A female who is 168cm would weigh between 51kg and 70kg according to the BMI table.
A male who is 188cm would weigh between 63kg and 89 kg according to the BMI table.
