Malay units of measurement explained

Units of measurement used in Malaysia and neighbouring countries include the kati, a unit of mass, and the gantang, a unit of volume.

Mass

For mass, the catty^[1] equals 0.6 kg.^[2] Another unit is picul which equals 60 kg.^[3]

Volume

The gantang is equivalent to an imperial gallon, or 4.54609 cubic decimetres.

Table of equivalences! Unit! Imperial
gallon! Millilitres

kepul		284.130625
leng		568.26125
cupak		1136.5225
gantang	1	4546.09
sukat	4	18184.36
nalih	16	72737.44
kunca	160	727374.4
Note: The millilitre equivalences are exact.

Further reading

• Malay Fishermen: Their Peasant Economy, by Raymond Firth. Norton (1975)

Notes and References

1. http://www.singlishdictionary.com/singlish_K.htm#kati "Kati" entry
2. Web site: Weights and Measures Act 1972. Laws of Malaysia. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140201182503/http://www.kpdnkk.gov.my/akta-timbang-dan-sukat-1972. 2014-02-01.
3. 新华字典 (Xīnhuá Zìdiǎn), Peking, 1984.