What is Troy Weight?
Troy weights are special measurements of mass used for precious metals, drugs and gunpowder. Though expressed in pounds and ounces, Troy pounds and Troy ounces are not the same as standard pounds and ounces.
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History
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The original pound was used as a standard in Rome and consisted of 12 ounces. At the time of the Saxon kings, a new 16-ounce pound was established and named after a French market town, Troyes. Sixteen ounces were divisible by eight, and therefore more flexible for making change. With the emergence of England, Troy weights were established as a national standard. With time, Troy weight was displaced by other measures, and used primarily for weighing gold and silver.
Divergences
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Though 16 ounces makes a pound in Troy weights, and the later avoirdupois pound -- the pound we use today for most things -- is also 16 ounces, the Troy ounce and the avoirdupois ounce differ. The avoirdupois ounce is 437.5 grains, while the troy ounce is 480 grains. It was the confusion created by this discrepancy that eventually led to dropping the Troy weights except in the fields of precious metals and pharmacology.
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Conversion
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Sixteen standard ounces or one standard pound equals 17.55428571424 Troy ounces. It is easy to see that these are not simple conversions. Fortunately, the Internet is well appointed with Troy conversion tools.
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References
Resources
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