All Gold Weight Units Explained: Gram, Tola, Ounce, Bhori, Tael & Every Other Measure

Gold is the only commodity in the world traded under more than a dozen different weight units. The international market quotes troy ounces. South Asia uses tola, masha and ratti. Bangladesh uses vori. China and Hong Kong trade in tael. Thailand prices in baht. The UK weighs sovereigns. American jewellers measure in pennyweight. And underneath all of it sits the metric gram — the only unit every country agrees on. Understanding what each unit means, where it is used, and how to convert between any two of them is essential for anyone who buys, sells, inherits, travels with or invests in gold. This is the complete reference.

Quick reference — every gold unit on one chart

The metric core — gram and kilogram

The gram is the universal language of gold weight. Every other unit on earth ultimately converts back to grams. International gold price feeds (Bloomberg, Reuters, the LBMA fix) work in grams and troy ounces, with grams as the metric reference. The kilogram is used for serious bullion bars — the famous 1 kg gold bars sold by major refiners — and for central-bank reserves. If you ever need a single unit to compare any two gold quotes anywhere in the world, convert both to grams first.

Troy ounce — the international price standard

The troy ounce (31.1035 grams) is the unit every international gold price screen uses. It is heavier than the avoirdupois ounce most people know from groceries (which is only 28.3495 grams). The two are easy to confuse, and confusing them costs roughly 10% — a serious mistake for any precious-metal transaction. Troy weight has its own subdivisions — pennyweight, grain — but the troy ounce is the only one that matters globally. When you see 'gold $X per oz', it is always troy ounce, never avoirdupois.

South Asian system — tola, masha, ratti

The South Asian gold weight system is built on three nested units inherited from the British Raj. Tola is the largest, masha is one-twelfth of tola, ratti is one-eighth of masha. The system is still used daily in Pakistani and Indian jewellery shops. 1 tola = 12 masha = 96 ratti = 11.664 grams. Below ratti is no formal sub-unit; small amounts switch to grams. For an in-depth deep-dive on the tola, see our complete tola conversion guide.

Bangladesh system — vori (bhori), ana, ratti

Bangladesh uses the vori (also spelled bhori), which is functionally identical to the tola at 11.664 grams. The subdivision system uses ana instead of masha — 16 ana per vori, 6 ratti per ana. The same 11.664-gram unit also appears in West Bengal under the bhori name. For an in-depth deep-dive on vori and the Bangladesh gold market, see our complete vori conversion guide.

Tael — the Chinese and East Asian unit

The tael is the traditional gold weight unit across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and parts of Southeast Asia. Confusingly, there are two main standards. The Hong Kong / Singapore tael equals 37.429 grams (based on a 1.20337 troy-ounce convention). The mainland Chinese / Taiwanese tael equals exactly 37.5 grams (a clean metric definition). Subdivisions are mace (1/10 tael) and candareen (1/100 tael). Hong Kong's gold market quotes prices per Hong Kong tael; mainland Chinese markets sometimes use the simpler 37.5-gram tael.

Baht — Thailand's gold unit

Thailand uses the baht (yes, the same name as the currency, but it is also a weight unit). 1 baht of gold equals 15.244 grams of 96.5% purity (Thai gold is traditionally 23K, not 22K). The baht has its own subdivisions — salung (1/4 baht) and fueang (1/8 baht). When Thai gold is sold internationally as bullion, the gold-content equivalent at 96.5% purity is what matters. Daily Thai gold rates are quoted in baht and reported by the Gold Traders Association.

Sovereign — the British coin weight

The sovereign is a British gold coin first minted in 1817 and still produced by the Royal Mint today. It weighs 7.98805 grams total, of which 7.32238 grams is pure gold (the coin is 22K, with 7.98 g total weight). Sovereigns are widely traded as bullion-grade gold and are particularly popular in the UK, India, the Gulf and parts of the Mediterranean. Half-sovereigns and quarter-sovereigns also exist. As a unit, 'one sovereign' refers to this specific coin's gold content.

Pennyweight (dwt) — the American jewellery unit

The pennyweight (abbreviated dwt for 'denarius weight') is part of the troy weight system. 1 pennyweight equals 1.55517 grams; 20 pennyweights make 1 troy ounce. American jewellers and refiners often quote scrap and dental gold prices in pennyweight rather than grams. Outside the US it is rare. If you sell scrap gold in the US, the pennyweight is the unit you will likely encounter.

Grain — the smallest historical unit

The grain (0.0648 grams) is the smallest unit in the troy weight system, originally based on the average weight of a single grain of barley. It is rarely used commercially today but appears on old assay reports, in pharmaceutical references and in historical numismatics. 480 grains = 1 troy ounce. 24 grains = 1 pennyweight. 180 grains = 1 tola. The grain is the deepest historical anchor of all gold weight units.

Mithqal — the historic Islamic and Middle Eastern unit

The mithqal is a traditional Middle Eastern unit with deep historical roots in Islamic Sharia, especially in zakat (gold-based charitable obligation calculations). The exact gram value varies by region — historical references put it between 4.25 and 4.68 grams depending on era and source. Modern Middle Eastern gold markets use grams and 21K standards rather than mithqal in commercial trade, but the unit remains relevant in religious and historical contexts.

Don, mom-me, chi — Northeast and Southeast Asian units

• Don (Korea) — 3.75 grams. Used for traditional Korean gold jewellery and gold gifting customs.
• Mom-me (Japan) — 3.75 grams. Originally for pearls; also used for gold and silver in some traditional contexts.
• Chi (Vietnam) — 3.75 grams. The smaller of Vietnam's two main gold units.
• Cây / Lượng (Vietnam) — 37.5 grams. The larger Vietnamese unit; 1 lượng = 10 chi.

How to convert between any two gold units

The cleanest way to convert between any two units is the two-step gram method: convert from your starting unit to grams, then from grams to your target unit. This avoids chained-conversion errors and works for every unit in the master chart above.

Common conversion shortcuts to memorise

• 1 troy ounce ≈ 2.667 tola (or 2.667 vori).
• 1 tola = 1 vori = 11.664 g exactly.
• 1 troy ounce = 31.1035 g exactly.
• 1 baht = 15.244 g (Thai gold convention).
• 1 HK tael = 37.429 g; 1 Chinese tael = 37.5 g exactly.
• 1 sovereign coin contains 7.32238 g pure gold (22K).
• 1 pennyweight = 1.55517 g; 20 dwt = 1 troy ounce.
• 1 kg = 32.1507 troy ounces; 1 kg = 85.7339 tola.

Country-by-country gold unit map

Common confusions and how to avoid them

• Troy ounce vs avoirdupois ounce — confusingly close in name, very different in weight (31.1 g vs 28.3 g).
• Two tael standards — Hong Kong tael is 37.429 g, mainland Chinese tael is exactly 37.5 g.
• Tola vs vori — different names, same weight (11.664 g).
• Baht as currency vs baht as gold weight — same word, completely different meaning.
• Sovereign coin total weight vs sovereign coin gold content — 7.988 g total, 7.322 g gold.
• Pennyweight as 'dwt' — abbreviation does not match the spelling.
• Mithqal historical variations — verify the era and region before using a specific gram value.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most universal gold unit?

The gram. Every other unit ultimately converts back to grams, and grams are the only unit recognised in every country, by every refiner, and on every digital scale. For international comparison, always convert to grams first.

Why does international gold trade in troy ounces?

The troy ounce is a historical convention dating from medieval European gold trading, named after the city of Troyes in France. The London Bullion Market Association adopted it as the global gold-pricing unit, and it stuck. Even today, every major gold price feed quotes USD per troy ounce, regardless of where the gold is physically traded.

Are tola and vori the same?

Yes — both equal 11.664 grams. Tola is used in Pakistan, India and Nepal; vori (or bhori) is used in Bangladesh and West Bengal. Same weight, different name.

How many grams in a Thai baht of gold?

1 baht of gold equals 15.244 grams (at the standard 96.5% Thai gold purity). Thai gold is traditionally 23K. Daily Thai gold rates are published in baht and translate to grams using this constant.

Common myths — busted

Gold has many names but only one weight. Convert everything to grams first, and the world's gold becomes one market.

The bottom line

Gold is measured in over 20 different commercial units around the world — gram, kilogram, troy ounce, tola, vori, tael (in two standards), baht, sovereign, pennyweight, grain, mithqal, don, mom-me, chi, lượng, mace, candareen, masha, ratti, ana. Each came from a different culture, different century, different purpose. But every one of them ultimately converts to grams, and once you know the gram equivalent, the world's gold becomes one market in your hands. Bookmark this guide. The next time a jeweller, dealer or relative quotes a price in a unit you have never heard of, the answer is in the chart above.

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