Gold can be a great way to diversify a portfolio or store wealth for long-term security and stability. But gold is subject to its unique market conditions and affects prices differently depending on the gold weight metric system in the region. South Asia is a significant gold consumer, and its gold markets have their measurement units and rules. This blog post will explore the gold weights used across South Asian gold markets and discuss how they impact gold prices.
Unit | In Grams |
Tola |
11.664g |
Ounce |
28.34g |
Troy Ounce |
31.10g |
Bori |
11.66g |
Mithqal |
3.64g |
Ratti |
0.182g |
Masha |
0.972g |
A tola is a gold weight metric system used to measure the gold and other precious metals throughout South Asia. The exact weight of a tola varies from country to country, but generally, it is equal to 11.664 grams, 0.374 troy ounces, or 11.660 milligrams.
An ounce (abbreviated "oz") is another gold weight metric system that is popularly used for gold trading in South Asia. One ounce equals 28 grams or 1/32 of a pound. In gold trading, the troy ounce is the gold weight in the metric system used to measure the gold and other precious metals. This gold weight metric system is based on a pound of 12 ounces, and each troy ounce equals 31.1034768 grams or 1/12 of a troy pound.
The difference between an ounce and a troy ounce lies in the amount of gold they represent. An ounce represents 28 grams, while a troy ounce represents 31.1034768 grams. As such, one can expect prices to be higher when using the troy system than the avoirdupois (ounce) system for gold trading in South Asia and other markets worldwide.
Bori, sometimes also known as "vori," is a gold weight metric system used to measure the gold and other precious metals mainly in eastern India. 1 bori equals 11.66 grams, or 0.374 troy ounces, or 11660 milligrams when trading gold.
Mithqāl is another gold-weight metric system commonly used for gold trading, mainly in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. This gold weight metric system is equal to 4.25 grams (0.137 oz), which is mostly used for measuring precious metals like gold and commodities like saffron. The name was also applied as an alternative term for the gold dinar currency in the Islamic world.
A gram (abbreviated "g") is a gold weight metric system that is widely used for gold trading and measuring gold and other precious metals across the globe. One gram equals 0.03527396195 ounces or 1000 milligrams and it is the most commonly used gold weight metric system due to its convenience and worldwide recognition.
Ratti is a gold-weight metric system used mainly to measure gold in India and other parts of South Asia. This gold weight metric system is based on the nominal weight of a Gunja seed, measured at approximately 1.8 or 1.75 grains, or 0.11339 g as standardised weight.
Masha is a gold weight metric system used mainly to measure gold in India and other parts of South Asia, now standard at 0.972 grams (0.0343 oz). Jewellers mostly use it for gold trading and measurement across the Indian Subcontinent.
Gold is an important asset class with its unique market conditions, which can be measured using different gold weight metric systems depending on the region or country. In this blog post, we explored some of the gold weights used commonly in South Asian gold markets, including tola, ounce, bori, mithqal, gramme, ratti, and masha. We hope this information gives gold traders a better understanding of gold weight measurements when trading gold in South Asian markets.