Traditional Russian units of measurement were standardized and used in Imperial Russia and after the Russian Revolution, but were abandoned after 21 July 1925, when the Soviet Union adopted the metric system, per the order of the Council of People's Commissars.
The Tatar system is very similar to the Russian one, but some names are different. The Polish system is also very close to the Russian.
The system existed since Kievan Rus', but under Peter the Great, the Russian units were redefined relative to the English system.[1] Until Peter the Great the system also used Cyrillic numerals, and only in the 18th century did Peter the Great replace it with the Hindu–Arabic numeral system.[1]
The basic unit was the Russian ell, called the arshin, which came into use in the 16th century. It was standardized by Peter the Great in the 18th century to measure exactly twenty-eight English inches (28inches). Thus, 80 vershoks = 20 pyad's = 5 arshins = 140 English inches (140inches).[2]
A pyad (Russian: пядь, "palm", "five") or chyetvyert' (Russian: че́тверть, "quarter") is a hand span, the distance between ends of the spread thumb and index finger.
| Unit | Ratio | Metric value | English value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russian | Translation | |||||
| Cyrillic | Transliteration | |||||
| Russian: то́чка | toch'ka | point | 0.254 mm | inch | ||
| Russian: ли́ния | liniya | line | 2.54 mm | inch; cf. line | ||
| Russian: дюйм (перст) | dyuym | inch (finger) | 2.54 cm | 1 inch | ||
| Russian: вершо́к | vyershok | tip, top | 4.445 cm | in; cf. 19" rack unit | ||
| Russian: ладонь | ladon' | palm | 7.62 cm | 7.62frac=16NaNfrac=16
| ||
| Russian: пядь, Russian: че́тверть | pyad', chyetvyert' | quarter | 17.78 cm | 7 in; cf. span | ||
| Russian: фут | fut | foot | 30.48 cm | 1 ft | ||
| Russian: локоть | lokot' | elbow | 45.72 cm | 45frac=16NaNfrac=16 | ||
| Russian: шаг | shag | stride, step | 1 | 71.12 cm | cf. step | |
| Russian: арши́н | arshin | yard | 1 | 71.12 cm | ft | |
| Russian: саже́нь, Russian: са́жень | sazhen' | fathom | 3 | 2.1336 m | 7 ft | |
| Russian: верста́ | vyersta | turn (of a plough) | 1500 | 1.0668 km | 3,500 ft | |
| Russian: ми́ля | milya | mile | 10,500 | 7.4676 km | 24,500 ft | |
Alternative units:
As in many ancient systems of measurement the Russian distinguishes between dry and liquid measurements of capacity. Note that the chyetvyert' appears in both lists with vastly differing values.
| Unit | Russian | Translation | Ratio | Cubic inches (exact) | Metric value | Imperial value | U.S. customary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| chast' | Russian: часть | part | 109.33 ml | 4.380 fl oz | 4.208 fl oz | |||
| kruzhka | Russian: кру́жка | mug | 80 | 1.312 L | 2.309 pints | 2.773 pints | ||
| garnyec | Russian: га́рнец | pot | 1 | 200 | 3.279842 L | 5.772 pints | 3.466 quarts | |
| vyedro | Russian: ведро́ | bucket | 4 | 800 | 13.12 L | 2.886 gal | 3.466 gal | |
| chyetvyerik | Russian: четвери́к | small quarter | 8 | 1,600 | 26.239 L | 2.886 pecks | 2.978 pecks | |
| os'mina | Russian: осьми́на | one-eighth | 32 | 6,400 | 104.955 L | 2.886 bushels | 2.978 bushels | |
| chyetvyert' | Russian: че́тверть | quarter | 64 | 12,800 | 209.91 L | 5.772 bushels | 5.957 bushels |
| Unit | Russian | Translation | Ratio | Cubic inches (exact) | Metric value | Imperial | U.S. Customary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| shkalik | Russian: шка́лик | measure | 61.5 ml | 2.16 fl oz | 2.08 fl oz | |||
| kosushka | Russian: косу́шка | shot | ||||||
| charka | Russian: ча́рка | wine glass | 123 ml | 4.33 fl oz | 4.16 fl oz | |||
| butylka (vodochnaya) | Russian: буты́лка (Russian: во́дочная) | bottle (vodka) | 615 ml | 1.08 pints | 1.3 pints | |||
| butylka (vinnaya) | Russian: буты́лка (Russian: ви́нная) | bottle (wine) | 768.7 ml | 1.35 pints | 1.625 pints | |||
| kruzhka | Russian: кру́жка | mug | 75 | 1.23 L | 2.16 pints | 1.3 quarts | ||
| shtof | Russian: штоф | flagon | ||||||
| chetvert | Russian: че́тверть | quarter | 1.537 L | 2.70 pints | 1.624 quarts | |||
| vedro | Russian: ведро́ | bucket | 1 | 750 | 12.29941 L | 2.71 gal | 3.249 gal | |
| bochka | Russian: бо́чка | barrel | 40 | 30,000 | 491.98 L | 108.22 gal | 129.967 gal |
Two systems of weight were in use, an ordinary one in common use, and an apothecaries' system.
| Unit | Russian | Translation | Ratio | Metric value | Avoirdupois value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dolya | Russian: до́ля | part, portion | = | 44.435 mg | 0.686 gr | |
| zolotnik | Russian: золотни́к | "golden one" | 4.26580 g | 65.831 gr (0.152 oz) | ||
| lot | Russian: лот | borrowed German "Loth" | 12.7974 g | 0.451 oz | ||
| funt | Russian: фунт | pound | 1 | 409.51718 g | 14.445 oz (0.903 lb) | |
| pood | Russian: пуд | borrowed Late Latin "pondo", from Classical "pondus" | 40 | 16.3807 kg | 36.121 lb | |
| byerkovyec | Russian: берковец | probably from "Birka pood" | 400 | 163.807 kg | 361.206 lb (25.8 stone) |
The pood was first mentioned in a number of documents of the twelfth century. It may still be encountered in documents dealing with agricultural production (especially with reference to cereals), and has been revived in determining weights when casting bells in belfries following the rebirth of the Orthodox Churches in the former Soviet lands.
The Imperial Russian apothecaries' weight was defined by setting the grain (Russian: гран) to be exactly seven-fifths of a dolya. The only unit name shared between the two was the funt (pound), but the one in the apothecaries' system is exactly seven-eighths of the ordinary funt.
| Unit | Russian | Translation | Ratio | Metric value | Avoirdupois value | Ordinary value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gran | гран | grain | 1 | 62.210 mg | 0.96004 gr | 1.4 dolya | |
| scrupul | скрупул | scruple | 20 | 1.2442 g | 19.201 gr | 28 dolya | |
| drahma | драхма | dram | 60 | 3.7326 g | 57.602 gr | zolotnik | |
| unciya | унция | ounce | 480 | 29.861 g | 1.0533 oz or 460.82 gr | 7 zolotnik | |
| funt | фунт | pound | 5760 | 358.328 g | 12.640 oz or 5529.8 gr | 84 zolotnik |
The obsolete units of measurement survived in Russian culture in a number of idiomatic expressions and proverbs, for example: