Editing Cooking weights and measures (section)

== British (Imperial) measures ==
Note that measurements in this section are in [[imperial units]].

British imperial measures distinguish between weight and volume.

[[Weight]] is measured in ounces and pounds (avoirdupois) as in the U.S.

[[Volume]] is measured in imperial [[Gallon#Imperial gallon|gallons]], [[Quart#Imperial quart|quarts]], [[Pint#Imperial pint|pints]], [[Fluid ounce|fluid ounces]], [[Dram (unit)#Unit of volume|fluid drachms]], and [[Minim (unit)|minims]]. The imperial gallon was originally defined as {{convert|10|lb|4}} of water in 1824, and refined as exactly 4.54609 litres in 1985.

Traditionally, when describing volumes, recipes commonly give measurements in the following units:
* [[Tumbler (glass)#Culinary measurement unit|Tumbler]] (10 fluid ounces;<ref name="fn29">[https://www.victorianschool.co.uk/ebooks/enquire%20within/10766-h/10766-h.htm#p665 Paragraph 665], page 119, ''Enquire Within Upon Everything'' (1894)</ref><ref name="fn30">Page 14, ''[https://public-content.library.mcgill.ca/digitization/978-1-926671-88-8.pdf Good Things in England]'' (1932)</ref> named after a typical drinking glass)
* [[Breakfast cup]] (8 fluid ounces;<ref name="fn31">‘[http://spprd.insec.netcopy.thompsonjames.co.uk/article/15th-march-1963/29/consuming-interest Measure for Measure]’, [[Elizabeth David]], ''[[The Spectator]]'', 15th March, 1963</ref><ref>‘Tea Making, My Experiments [1859]’, [https://galton.org/pearson/vol3/new/pearson-vol3b-ch17-1.pdf chapter XVII], page 456, volume IIIB, ''The Life, Letters and Labours of Francis Galton'' (1930)</ref> named after a cup for drinking tea or coffee while eating breakfast)
* [[Cup (unit)#British cup|Cup]] (6 fluid ounces;<ref name="fn29"/> named after an everyday drinking cup)
* [[Teacup (unit)|Teacup]] (5 fluid ounces;<ref name="fn31"/> named after a typical [[teacup]])
* [[Coffee cup (unit)|Coffee cup]] ({{sfrac|2|1|2}} fluid ounces;<ref name="fn31"/> named after a small cup for serving after‑dinner coffee)
* [[Wine glass#Capacity measure|Wine glass]] (2 fluid ounces;<ref name="fn29"/><ref>Page 11, ''[https://deriv.nls.uk/dcn23/1262/7738/126277384.23.pdf The Feill Cookery Book]'' (1907)</ref> named after a small glass for serving liquor)
If the recipe is one that has been handed down in a family and gives measurements in ‘cups’, it is just as likely to refer to someone's favourite kitchen cup as to the said unit that is 6 fluid ounces.

All six units are the traditional British equivalents of the US customary cup and the metric cup, used in situations where a US cook would use the US customary cup and a cook using metric units the metric cup.  The breakfast cup is the most similar in size to the US customary cup and the metric cup.  Which of these six units is used depends on the quantity or volume of the ingredient: there is division of labour between these six units, like the tablespoon and the teaspoon.  British cookery books and recipes, especially those from the days before [[Metrication in the United Kingdom|the UK's partial metrication]], commonly use two or more of the aforesaid units simultaneously: for example, the same recipe may call for a ‘tumblerful’ of one ingredient and a ‘wineglassful’ of another one; or a ‘breakfastcupful’ or ‘cupful’ of one ingredient, a ‘teacupful’ of a second one, and a ‘coffeecupful’ of a third one.  Unlike the US customary cup and the metric cup, a tumbler, a breakfast cup, a cup, a teacup, a coffee cup, and a wine glass are not measuring cups: they are simply everyday drinking vessels commonly found in British households and typically having the respective aforementioned capacities; due to long-term and widespread use, they have been transformed into measurement units for cooking.  There is not a [[Imperial units|British imperial unit]]⁠–⁠based culinary measuring cup.

For smaller amounts, British recipes traditionally give measurements in the following units:
* [[Tablespoon#United Kingdom|Tablespoon]] (4 fluid drachms<ref name="fn29"/> or {{sfrac|1|2}} fluid ounce)
* [[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|Dessert spoon]] ({{sfrac|1|2}} tablespoon: the equivalence of 2 fluid drachms<ref name="fn29"/> or {{sfrac|1|4}} fluid ounce)
* [[Teaspoon#British culinary measurement unit|Teaspoon]] ({{sfrac|1|2}} dessert spoon or {{sfrac|1|4}} tablespoon: the equivalence of 1 fluid drachm<ref name="fn29"/> or {{sfrac|1|8}} fluid ounce)
* [[Salt spoon]] ({{sfrac|1|2}} teaspoon: the equivalence of 30 [[Minim (unit)|minims]], {{sfrac|1|2}} fluid drachm,<ref name="fn30"/> or {{sfrac|1|16}} fluid ounce)

For even smaller amounts, the following units are used:
* [[Pinch (unit)|Pinch]] ({{sfrac|1|2}} salt spoon<ref name="fn30"/> or {{sfrac|1|4}} teaspoon: an amount of space that can accommodate 15 minims ({{sfrac|1|4}} fluid drachm or {{sfrac|1|32}} fluid ounce) of liquid), if it is a dry ingredient
* [[Drop (unit)|Drop]] (1 minim,<ref>[https://archive.org/details/bookofhouseholdm0000mrsi/page/40/mode/2up Page 40], ''The Book of Household Management'' (1861)</ref> {{sfrac|1|60}} fluid drachm, or {{sfrac|1|480}} fluid ounce), if it is a liquid

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"
|+ Table of volume units
! Unit
! Fluid ounces
! Pints
! [[Litre#SI prefixes applied to the litre|Millilitres]]
! Cubic inches
! US fluid ounces
! US pints
|-
!align=left| [[fluid ounce]] (fl&nbsp;oz)
| 1 || {{sfrac|20}}
| {{convert|28.4130625|mL|cuin USoz USpt|disp=table|sigfig=5}}
|-
!align=left| gill
| 5 || {{sfrac|4}}
| {{convert|142.0653125|mL|cuin USoz USpt|disp=table|sigfig=5}}
|-
!align=left| [[pint]] (pt)
| 20 || 1
| {{convert|568.26125|mL|cuin USoz USpt|disp=table|sigfig=5}}
|-
!align=left| [[quart]] (qt)
| 40 || 2
| {{convert|1136.5225|mL|cuin USoz USpt|disp=table|sigfig=5}}
|-
!align=left| [[gallon]] (gal)
| 160 || 8
| {{convert|4546.09|mL|cuin USoz USpt|disp=table|sigfig=5}}
|-
|colspan=7 style="text-align:left; font-size:90%;"|'''Note:''' The millilitre figures are exact whereas the cubic-inch and US measure figures are to five significant digits.
|-
|colspan=7 style="text-align:left; font-size:90%;"|'''Note 2:''' The imperial gallon is equal to 10&nbsp;lbs of water.
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Conversion table for drinking vessel–⁠based British culinary measurement units and their metric and US customary equivalents
!1 tumbler
!1 breakfast cup
!{{not a typo|1 cup}} 
!1 teacup
!1 coffee cup
!1 wine glass
|-
|10 fluid ounces / {{sfrac|1|2}} pint
|8 fluid ounces / {{sfrac|2|5}} pint
|6 fluid ounces / {{sfrac|3|10}} pint
|5 fluid ounces / {{sfrac|1|4}} pint
|2{{sfrac|1|2}} fluid ounces / {{sfrac|1|8}} pint
|2 fluid ounces / {{sfrac|1|10}} pint
|-
|1{{sfrac|1|4}} breakfast cups
|{{sfrac|4|5}} tumbler
|{{sfrac|3|5}} tumbler
|{{sfrac|1|2}} tumbler
|{{sfrac|1|4}} tumbler
|{{sfrac|1|5}} tumbler
|-
|1{{sfrac|2|3}} cups
|1{{sfrac|1|3}} cups
|{{sfrac|3|4}} breakfast cup
|{{sfrac|5|8}} breakfast cup
|{{sfrac|5|16}} breakfast cup
|{{sfrac|1|4}} breakfast cup
|-
|2 teacups
|1{{sfrac|3|5}} teacups
|1{{sfrac|1|5}} teacups
|{{sfrac|5|6}} cup
|{{sfrac|5|12}} cup
|{{sfrac|1|3}} cup
|-
|4 coffee cups
|3{{sfrac|1|5}} coffee cups
|2{{sfrac|2|5}} coffee cups
|2 coffee cups
|{{sfrac|1|2}} teacup
|{{sfrac|2|5}} teacup
|-
|5 wine glasses
|4 wine glasses
|3 wine glasses
|2{{sfrac|1|2}} wine glasses
|1{{sfrac|1|4}} wine glasses
|{{sfrac|4|5}} coffee cup
|-
|≈ 284.13 millilitres
|≈ 227.3 millilitres
|≈ 170.48 millilitres
|≈ 142.07 millilitres
|≈ 71.03 millilitres
|≈ 56.83 millilitres
|-
|≈ 1.14 metric cups
|≈ 0.91 metric cup
|≈ 0.68 metric cup
|≈ 0.57 metric cup
|≈ 0.28 metric cup
|≈ 0.23 metric cup
|-
|≈ 9.61 US customary fluid ounces
|≈ 7.69 US customary fluid ounces
|≈ 5.76 US customary fluid ounces
|≈ 4.8 US customary fluid ounces
|≈ 2.4 US customary fluid ounces
|≈ 1.92 US customary fluid ounces
|-
|≈ 1.2 US customary cups
|≈ 0.96 US customary cup
|≈ 0.72 US customary cup
|≈ 0.6 US customary cup
|≈ 0.3 US customary cup
|≈ 0.24 US customary cup
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Conversion table for spoon‑based British culinary measurement units and their metric and US customary equivalents
!1 tablespoon
!1 dessert spoon
!1 teaspoon
!1 salt spoon
|-
|4 fluid drachms / {{sfrac|1|2}} fluid ounce
|2 fluid drachms / {{sfrac|1|4}} fluid ounce
|1 fluid drachm / {{sfrac|1|8}} fluid ounce
|{{sfrac|1|2}} fluid drachm / {{sfrac|1|16}} fluid ounce
|-
|2 dessert spoons
|{{sfrac|1|2}} tablespoon
|{{sfrac|1|4}} tablespoon
|{{sfrac|1|8}} tablespoon
|-
|4 teaspoons
|2 teaspoons
|{{sfrac|1|2}} dessert spoon
|{{sfrac|1|4}} dessert spoon
|-
|8 salt spoons
|4 salt spoons
|2 salt spoons
|{{sfrac|1|2}} teaspoon
|-
|16 pinches (solids only)
|8 pinches (solids only)
|4 pinches (solids only)
|2 pinches (solids only)
|-
|240 drops (liquids only)
|120 drops (liquids only)
|60 drops (liquids only)
|30 drops (liquids only)
|-
|≈ 14.21 millilitres
|≈ 7.1 millilitres
|≈ 3.55 millilitres
|≈ 1.78 millilitres
|-
|≈ 0.95 international metric tablespoon
|≈ 0.47 international metric tablespoon
|≈ 0.24 international metric tablespoon
|≈ 0.11 international metric tablespoon
|-
|≈ 0.71 Australian metric tablespoon
|≈ 0.36 Australian metric tablespoon
|≈ 0.18 Australian metric tablespoon
|≈ 0.09 Australian metric tablespoon
|-
|≈ 1.42 metric dessert spoons
|≈ 0.71 metric dessert spoon
|≈ 0.36 metric dessert spoon
|≈ 0.18 metric dessert spoon
|-
|≈ 2.84 metric teaspoons
|≈ 1.42 metric teaspoons
|≈ 0.71 metric teaspoon
|≈ 0.36 metric teaspoon
|-
|≈ 3.84 US customary fluid drams / 0.48 US customary fluid ounce
|≈ 1.92 US customary fluid drams / 0.24 US customary fluid ounce
|≈ 0.96 US customary fluid dram / 0.12 US customary fluid ounce
|≈ 0.48 US customary fluid dram / 0.06 US customary fluid ounce
|-
|≈ 0.96 US customary tablespoon
|≈ 0.48 US customary tablespoon
|≈ 0.24 US customary tablespoon
|≈ 0.12 US customary tablespoon
|-
|≈ 1.44 US customary dessert spoons
|≈ 0.72 US customary dessert spoon
|≈ 0.36 US customary dessert spoon
|≈ 0.18 US customary dessert spoon
|-
|≈ 2.88 US customary teaspoons
|≈ 1.44 US customary teaspoons
|≈ 0.72 US customary teaspoon
|≈ 0.36 US customary teaspoon
|-
|≈ 5.76 US customary coffee spoons
|≈ 2.88 US customary coffee spoons
|≈ 1.44 US customary coffee spoons
|≈ 0.72 US customary coffee spoon
|-
|≈ 11.53 US customary salt spoons
|≈ 5.76 US customary salt spoons
|≈ 2.88 US customary salt spoons
|≈ 1.44 US customary salt spoon
|-
|≈ 23.06 US customary dashes (solids only)
|≈ 11.53 US customary dashes (solids only)
|≈ 5.76 US customary dashes (solids only)
|≈ 2.88 US customary dashes (solids only)
|-
|≈ 46.12 US customary pinches (solids only)
|≈ 23.06 US customary pinches (solids only)
|≈ 11.53 US customary pinches (solids only)
|≈ 5.76 US customary pinches (solids only)
|-
|≈ 92.23 US customary smidgens (solids only)
|≈ 46.12 US customary smidgens (solids only)
|≈ 23.06 US customary smidgens (solids only)
|≈ 11.53 US customary smidgens (solids only)
|-
|≈ 276.7 US customary drops (liquids only)
|≈ 138.35 US customary drops (liquids only)
|≈ 69.17 US customary drops (liquids only)
|≈ 34.59 US customary drops (liquids only)
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Conversion table for the pinch and their metric and US customary equivalents
!1 pinch
|-
|An amount of a solid occupying an amount of space that can accommodate 15 minims ({{sfrac|1|4}} fluid drachm or {{sfrac|1|32}} fluid ounce) of liquid
|-
|{{sfrac|1|2}} salt spoon or {{sfrac|1|4}} teaspoon
|-
|≈ An amount of a solid occupying an amount of space that can accommodate 0.89 millilitre of liquid
|-
|≈ 0.178 metric teaspoon
|-
|≈ An amount of a solid occupying an amount of space that can accommodate 14.41 US customary minims (0.24 US customary fluid dram or 0.03 US customary fluid ounce) of liquid
|-
|≈ 0.18 US customary teaspoon / 0.36 US customary coffee spoon / 0.72 US customary salt spoon
|-
|≈ 1.44 US customary dashes
|-
|≈ 2.88 US customary pinches
|-
|≈ 5.76 US customary smidgens
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Conversion table for the drop and their metric and US customary equivalents
!1 drop
|-
|1 minim / {{sfrac|1|60}} fluid drachm / {{sfrac|1|480}} fluid ounce
|-
|{{sfrac|1|30}} salt spoon / {{sfrac|1|60}} teaspoon
|-
|≈ 0.059 millilitre
|-
|≈ 0.0118 metric teaspoon
|-
|≈ 0.96 US customary minim / 0.016 US customary fluid dram / 0.002 US customary fluid ounce
|-
|≈ 0.012 US customary teaspoon / 0.024 US customary coffee spoon / 0.033 US customary salt spoon
|-
|≈ 1.15 US customary drops
|}
American cooks using British recipes, and vice versa, need to be careful with pints and fluid ounces.
A US pint (16 US fluid ounces) is about 16.65 UK fluid ounces or 473 mL, while a UK pint is 20 UK fluid ounces (about 19.21 US fluid ounces or 568 mL): a UK pint is, therefore, about 20% larger than a US pint.
A US fluid ounce is {{sfrac|16}} of a US pint (about 1.04 UK fluid ounces or 29.6 mL); a UK fluid ounce is {{sfrac|20}} of a UK pint (about 0.96 US fluid ounce or 28.4 mL).

On a larger scale, perhaps for institutional cookery, a UK gallon is 8 UK pints (160 UK fluid ounces; about 1.2 US gallons or 4.546 litres), whereas the US gallon is 8 US pints (128 US fluid ounces; about 0.83 UK gallon or 3.785 litres).

The [[Metrication|metric system was officially adopted]] in the UK, for most purposes, in the 20th century and both imperial and metric are taught in schools and used in books. It is now mandatory for the sale of food to also show metric. However, it is not uncommon to purchase goods which are measured and labeled in metric, but the actual measure is rounded to the equivalent imperial measure (i.e., milk labeled as 568 mL / 1 pint). In September 2007, the [[European Union|EU]] with Directive 2007/45/EC deregulated prescribed metric packaging of most products, leaving only wines and liqueurs subject to prescribed EU-wide pre-packaging legislation;<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/legal-metrology-and-prepack/documents/pack-sizes/index_en.htm
 |access-date  = 28 March 2012
 |publisher   = European Commission – Enterprise and Industry
 |title       = Legal metrology and pre-packaging – Pre-packaging – Pack sizes
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120531035638/http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/legal-metrology-and-prepack/documents/pack-sizes/index_en.htm
 |archive-date = 31 May 2012
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/nmo/docs/legislation/legislation/sq-part-2-government-response-final-with-a1-amendment.pdf
|title = Government response to the consultation on specified quantities – Non pre-packages and food information
|publisher = National Measurement Office, Department for Business Innovation and Skills
|date = September 2009
|location = London
|access-date =28 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.mcisystems.co.uk/legislation/Guidance_for_Business_on_Specified_Quantities_for_Pre-packages_Jan_09.pdf
|title = Guidance note on UK implementation of a European directive deregulating specified quantities (fixed pack sizes)
|date = January 2009
|access-date = 28 March 2012
|publisher = National Weights and Measures Laboratory, an Executive Agency of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
|archive-date = 14 February 2016
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160214072517/http://www.mcisystems.co.uk/legislation/Guidance_for_Business_on_Specified_Quantities_for_Pre-packages_Jan_09.pdf
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> the law relating to labelling of products remaining unchanged.