Convert grams to pood like a 19th century merchant
1 g ÷ 16,380.7 = 0 pood
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Ever tried lifting a 16kg kettlebell? That’s roughly one pood - a unit that survived from medieval markets to modern gyms. While grams dominate global measurements today, converting to poods connects us to Russia’s mercantile past. Let’s explore this quirky conversion that’s still used in weightlifting circles and historical recipes.
Units defined
What is a gram (g)?
Description: The gram is metric system’s base unit for mass, equal to one thousandth of kilogram
Symbol: g
Common uses: Cooking measurements, lab work, nutrition labels
Definition: Originally based on 1 cubic centimeter of water at melting point (4°C)
What is a pood (pood)?
Description: Traditional Russian weight unit standardized under Peter the Great
Symbol: No official symbol - usually written as "пуд" in Cyrillic
Common uses: Measuring grain, gym weights, historical documents
Definition: 1 pood equals 40 funt (Russian pounds) ≈ 16.3807kg
Conversion formula
Grams to poods:
Pood = Grams ÷ 16,380.7
Pood to grams:
Grams = Pood × 16,380.7
Example calculations
- Converting 10,000g to pood
10,000 ÷ 16,380.7 ≈ 0.6105 pood
(That's like half a sack of wheat in 18th century Moscow) - Converting 3.5 pood to grams
3.5 × 16,380.7 = 57,332.45g
(Enough flour to bake bread for a small village)
Conversion tables
Grams to pood
| Grams | Pood |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | 0.06105 |
| 5,000 | 0.3052 |
| 10,000 | 0.6105 |
| 16,380.7 | 1 (exact) |
| 50,000 | 3.0525 |
| 100,000 | 6.105 |
Pood to grams
| Pood | Grams |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | 8,190.35 |
| 1 | 16,380.7 |
| 2 | 32,761.4 |
| 5 | 81,903.5 |
| 10 | 163,807 |
| 20 | 327,614 |
Historical background
The pood first appeared in 12th century Novgorod trade ledgers, though its exact origins remain fuzzy. By Peter the Great’s reign (1682-1725), it became Russia’s official commercial weight. Markets used pood weights carved from stone or metal, some still exist in museums.
During Soviet industrialization, the pood was phased out in favor of metric units in 1924. Yet it never fully disappeared. Farmers still use "pood" when discussing crop yields, and gyms label kettlebells in poods. There’s even a Russian proverb: "You recognize a man by his poods", meaning true character shows under heavy loads.
Did you know early pood measures varied regionally? In Kiev, 1 pood was about 16.3kg, while Siberian traders used 16.8kg poods until standardization.
Interesting facts?
- Strongman legacy: Soviet weightlifters measured barbells in poods until the 1980s. A 150kg clean-and-jerk was called a "9-pood lift"
- Space oddity: The word "pood" appears in NASA transcripts - cosmonauts used it informally to describe equipment mass
- Literary weight: Dostoevsky mentions poods 27 times across his novels, usually describing moral burdens
- Baking math: Traditional Russian kulich Easter bread recipes still list flour in poods
- Modern usage: Russian CrossFit boxes sell memberships with prices per pood lifted monthly
FAQ
While obsolete officially, poods remain culturally significant in former Soviet states for measuring gym weights and historical reenactments.
Our tool uses exact 16,380.7g per pood ratios - precise enough for recipes needing traditional measurements.
Mainly Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Some Central Asian nations use it colloquially for agricultural products.
No, it predates metric adoption. 1 pood equals approximately 16.38kg through 19th century standardization.
Derived from Old Slavic 'pǫdъ' meaning 'weight'. First appeared in 12th century Novgorod trade records.