Section 600.TABLE C  Illinois Standard Weights and Measures

 

 

United States Linear Measure

 

            12 inches (in.) = 1 foot (ft.)

            3 ft. = yard (yd.) = 36 inches

            5½ yards = 1 rod (rd.) = 16½ feet

            320 rods = 1 mile (mi.) = 1760 yards = 5,280 feet

 

Chain Measure (Gunter's or Surveyor's Chain)

 

            7.92 inches = 1 link (li.)

            100 li. = 1 chain (ch) = 66 feet

            80 ch. = 1 mile (mi)

            The engineer's chain is 100 feet long and consists

            of 100 links of 12 inches each. 52.8 chains = 1 mile.

 

Square Measure

 

            144 square inches (sq. in.) = 1 square foot (sq. ft.)

            9 sq. ft. = 1 sq. yard (sq. yd.)

            30¼ sq. yard = 1 square rod (sq. rd.) = 272¼ sq. ft.

            160 sq. rd. = 1 acre (a) = 4,840 sq. yd. = 43,560 sq. ft.

 

Surveyor's Measure

 

            625 square links (sq. li.) = 1 square rod (sq. rd.)

            16 sq. rods = 1 square chain (sq. ch.)

            10 sq. ch. = 1 acre (a)

            640 a. = 1 square mile (sq. mi.)

            36 sq. mi. (6 mi. sq.) = 1 township (tp.) = 2,304 a.

 

Cubic Measure

 

            1728 cubic inches (cu. in.) = 1 cubic foot (cu. ft.)

            27 cu. ft. = 1 cubic yard (cu. yd.)

 

United States Liquid Measure

 

            4 gills (gi) = 1 pint (pt)

            2 pt. = 1 quart (qt) = 8 gills

            4 qt. = 1 gallon (gal.) = 8 pints = 32 gills

            31½ gal. = 1 barrel (bbl) = 126 quarts.

            2 bbl. = 1 hogshead (hhd) = 63 gallons = 252 quarts.

 

Apothecaries' Fluid Measure

 

            60 minims (m.) = 1 fluid dram (fl. dr.)

            8 fl. dr. = 1 fluid ounce (fl. oz.) = 480 minims

            16 fl. oz. = 1 pint (0) = 128 fl. dr. = 7,680 m.

            8 0. = 1 gallon (cong.) = 128 fl. oz. = 1,024 fl. dr.

 

U.S. Dry Measure

 

            2 pints (pt.) = 1 quart (qt.)

            8 qt. = 1 peck (pk) = 16 pints

            4 pk. = 1 bushel (bu.) = 32 quarts = 64 pints

            105 quarts = 1 barrel (for fruits and vegetables) = 7,056 cubic inches.

 

Avoirdupois Weight

 

            27 11/32 grains (gr.) = 1 dram (dr.)

            16 dr. = 1 ounce (oz.) = 437½ grains

            16 oz. = 1 pound (lb.) = 156 drams = 7000 grains

            100 lbs. = 1 hundred weight (cwt.) = 1600 ounces

            20 cwt. = 1 ton (t.) = 2,000 pounds

 

Troy Weight

 

            24 grains (gr.) 1 pennyweight (dwt.)

            20 dwt. = 1 ounce (oz.) = 480 grains

            12 oz. = 1 pound (lb.) = 240 dwt. = 5,760 gr.

 

Apothecaries' Weight

 

            20 grains (gr.) = scruple

            3 scruples = 1 dram = 60 grains

            8 drams = 1 ounce = 24 scruples = 480 grains

            12 ounces = 1 pound (lb.) = 96 drams = 288 scruples =

            5,760 grains

 

The Metric System

 

The metric system is based on a unit of length (the meter.). A cubic box one-tenth of a meter on the side has the unit of capacity, a liter, and the water contained in a liter weighs one kilogram.  The unit of weight, the gram, in the metric system is the weight of water contained in a cubical box one-hundredth of a meter on a side. (Note: These values are not precisely correct but hold for all but the most refined measurements.)

 

The entire system is then built up by multiplying or dividing the unit by ten, one hundred and one thousand, using always the same prefix to indicate what the unit is multiplied or divided by, thus:

 

milli means 1/1000 or divided by 1000

centi means 1/100 or divided by 100

deci means 1/10 or divided by 10

deka means 10 or multiplied by 10

hecto means 100 or multiplied by 100

kilo means 1000 or multiplied by 1000

 

The tables then become:

 

            Length

 

10 milli-meters = 1 centi-meter

10 centi-meters = 1 deci-meter

10 deci-meters = 1 meter

10 meters = 1 deka-meter

10 deka-meters = 1 hecto-meter

10 hecto-meters = 1 kilo-meter

 

            Weight

 

10 milli-grams = 1 centi-gram

10 centi-grams = 1 deci-gram

10 deci-grams = 1 gram

10 grams = 1 deka-gram

10 deka-grams = 1 hecto-gram

10 hecto-grams = 1 kilogram

 

            Capacity

 

10 milli-liters = 1 centi-liter

10 centi-liters = 1 deci-liter

10 deci-liters = 1 liter (1 cubic deci-meter)

10 liters = 1 deka-liter

10 deka-liters = 1 hecto-liter

10 hecto-liters = 1 kilo-liter

 

            Area

 

100 sq. meters = 1 are.

100 are. = 1 hectare

100 hectares = 1 sq. kilometer

 

In the metric system there is but one standard of weight, one standard of measure for liquids and dry commodities alike, and but one standard of length.

 

(Source:  Amended at 22 Ill. Reg. 1141, effective January 1, 1998)