Convert Hong Kong tael to catty in seconds
1 兩 ÷ 16 = 0.063 斤
Ever wandered through Hong Kong’s bustling markets and wondered how vendors quickly switch between taels and catties when weighing dried seafood or gold? These traditional units, deeply rooted in Chinese commerce, might seem confusing at first glance. But once you grasp their relationship, you’ll navigate street markets and jewelry shops like a local.
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Unit definitions
What is a hong kong tael (兩)?
- Description: The tael is a traditional Asian weight unit, standardized to 37.7994 grams in Hong Kong
- Symbol: 兩
- Common uses: Precious metals, herbal medicine, specialty foods
- Definition: 1/16 of a Hong Kong catty
What is a hong kong catty (斤)?
- Description: Larger market unit often used for fresh produce and bulk goods
- Symbol: 斤
- Common uses: Wet markets, textile trading, tea sales
- Definition: Exactly 16 taels or 604.7898 grams
Conversion formula
The math couldn’t be simpler:
1 catty = 16 taels
So to convert:
Catties = Taels ÷ 16
Taels = Catties × 16
Example calculations
- Your jade merchant quotes 128 taels for a sculpture:
128 兩 ÷ 16 = 8 斤
That’s 8 catties of jade - Recipe calls for 1.5 catties of bird’s nest:
1.5 斤 × 16 = 24 兩
You’ll need 24 taels
Conversion tables
Tael to catty
| Tael (兩) | Catty (斤) |
|---|---|
| 16 | 1 |
| 32 | 2 |
| 48 | 3 |
| 64 | 4 |
| 80 | 5 |
| 96 | 6 |
| 112 | 7 |
| 128 | 8 |
| 144 | 9 |
| 160 | 10 |
Catty to tael
| Catty (斤) | Tael (兩) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 16 |
| 2 | 32 |
| 3 | 48 |
| 4 | 64 |
| 5 | 80 |
| 6 | 96 |
| 7 | 112 |
| 8 | 128 |
| 9 | 144 |
| 10 | 160 |
From silver sycees to wet markets: A weighty history
The taels story begins with silver ingots called sycees used in Imperial China. Merchants would literally cut tehl silver pieces to weight using tael measurements. When Britain established Hong Kong as a colony in 1842, they kept these familiar units but standardized them to align with British imperial measures. The Hong Kong catty was set to 1⅓ pounds avoirdupois (604.79g), creating that 16 tael relationship we use today.
Interesting facts
- Gold standard: Hong Kong gold shops display prices per tael, not grams
- Herbal precision: Traditional Chinese medicine often uses 1/10 tael increments
- Name game: "Catty" comes from Malay "kati", showing colonial trade links
- Metric mix: Hong Kong officially uses metric, but markets keep tradition alive
- Regional variations: A Singapore catty is 600g, while Taiwan uses 600g but calls it "jin"
FAQ
They remain popular in traditional markets, herbal medicine, and jewelry due to cultural familiarity.
No, 1 catty equals ~1.33 pounds (604.79g vs 453.59g).
Traditional beam balances are used, but digital scales with tael/catty modes work best.
Mainland uses metric, but some older generations might reference 'jin' (catty) as 500g.
Yes: 1 tael = 37.7994g, so divide by 26.455 to get kilograms.