Convert Russian pood to stone with confidence.

Ever stumbled upon a 19th-century Russian recipe calling for "3 poods of flour" and wondered how that translates to modern measurements? Or maybe you're comparing historical weightlifting records between Eastern Europe and Britain? Converting pood to stone bridges these quirky gaps between two traditional weight systems. While these units might seem like relics, they’re still kicking in specific niches—whether it’s Russian farmers selling potatoes by the pood or British gym-goers tracking their weight in stone. Let’s unpack these units and make conversions feel like a breeze.

Unit definitions

What is a pood (pood)?

The pood is a historic Russian unit of mass that’s heavier than your average dumbbell—literally. One pood equals approximately 16.38 kilograms or 36.11 pounds. Symbolized simply as "pood," it was the go-to measurement for everything from grain sacks to cannonballs in Imperial Russia. Fun fact: Russian strongman competitions still use pood-based kettlebells, keeping the unit alive in fitness culture.

What is a stone (st)?

Stone, abbreviated as "st," is a British weight unit that’s as stubborn as its name suggests when it comes to fading into obscurity. One stone equals 14 pounds or about 6.35 kilograms. While the metric system has taken over most official uses, Brits cling to stone for personal weight measurements—you’ll still hear "I’m 12 stone" much more often than "I’m 76 kilograms" in UK pubs.

Conversion formula

To convert pood to stone, multiply the pood value by 2.579 (since 16.38 kg ÷ 6.35029 kg per stone ≈ 2.579). The formula is:

stone = pood × 2.579

For reverse conversions: pood = stone ÷ 2.579

Example calculations

1. Converting 5 pood to stone:
   5 pood × 2.579 = 12.895 stone
   (Rounded to four decimal places: 12.8950 st)
2. Converting 8 stone to pood:
   8 stone ÷ 2.579 ≈ 3.101 pood
   (Rounded to four decimal places: 3.1015 pood)

Conversion tables

Pood to stone

Stone to pood

Historical background

The pood’s history is as weighty as its measure. First documented in the 12th century Novgorod Republic , it became Russia’s standard trade unit under Peter the Great’s reforms. By teh 19th century, poods measured everything from tea imports to artillery shells. Across the Channel, stone carved its niche in medieval England as a practical market measure—imagine a literal stone used as a counterweight on scales! While both units survived metrication efforts, stone found refuge in personal weight tracking, while pood became a cultural footnote with occasional comebacks in niche industries.

Interesting facts!

1. Strongman heritage: A standard Russian kettlebell is 16 kg, almost exactly 1 pood (16.38 kg), making "pood" gym slang among weightlifters.
2. Tolstoy’s poods: In War and Peace, characters frequently reference poods when discussing provisions, offering a window into 19th-century Russian life.
3. Stone age: The UK’s continued use of stone creates odd hybrids—hospital charts might list patients’ weight in stone and kilograms side by side.
4. Bread standard: Medieval Russians defined one pood as the weight of 1,920 average rye bread rolls. Talk about carb-loading!
5. Space oddity: When the USSR launched Sputnik, American newspapers converted its 83.6 kg weight to "5.1 poods" for dramatic effect.

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