# Dekagrams to Drams (dag to dr) Source: https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/weight/dekagrams-to-drams/ **1 dag = 5.6438339119329 dr** One dekagram equals approximately 5.644 drams (avoirdupois). The dram, at about 1.772 grams, fits roughly 5.6 times into a dekagram. This conversion connects the Austrian grocery unit to an archaic English weight from the spice and apothecary trades - two units that evolved centuries apart on different continents for completely different purposes. ## Formula Apply the conversion factor ## Conversion Table | Dekagrams (dag) | Drams (dr) | |---|---| | 0.5 dag | 2.8219169559664 dr | | 1 dag | 5.6438339119329 dr | | 2 dag | 11.287667823866 dr | | 5 dag | 28.219169559664 dr | | 10 dag | 56.438339119329 dr | | 20 dag | 112.87667823866 dr | | 50 dag | 282.19169559664 dr | | 100 dag | 564.38339119329 dr | | 200 dag | 1128.7667823866 dr | | 500 dag | 2821.9169559664 dr | | 1000 dag | 5643.8339119329 dr | | 2000 dag | 11287.667823866 dr | | 5000 dag | 28219.169559664 dr | ## Units ### Dekagram (dag) A dekagram (also decagram) is 10 grams. While rarely used in most countries, it is the standard unit for buying food at delicatessens in Austria, where it is called 'Deka'. ### Dram (dr) A dram (avoirdupois) is a unit of mass equal to 1/16 of an ounce or 1/256 of a pound (1.7718451953125 grams). Historically used in pharmacy and old cooking recipes. ## Background A dekagram of paprika (a quintessential Austrian spice) weighs about 5.6 drams. Before metrication, British spice merchants sold ground pepper and cinnamon by the dram. Today, an Austrian buying '2 Deka Paprikapulver' at a market stall uses a different unit than Victorian-era British spice merchants did, but both are measuring roughly the same quantities of culinary powder. ## Good to Know The dram and dekagram represent two different solutions to the same problem: how to weigh small quantities of food and spice. The English chose the dram (about 1.77 g), derived from ancient Greek coinage. The Austrians chose the dekagram (10 g), derived from metric logic. Both are reasonable portion-scale units. The dram lost its relevance when the English-speaking world adopted metric for science and ounces for commerce. The dekagram survived because Austrian commerce still speaks its language. ## FAQ ### How many drams are in one dekagram? One dekagram contains approximately 5.644 avoirdupois drams. This comes from 1 dekagram = 10 grams and 1 dram = approximately 1.772 grams. ### What is an avoirdupois dram? The avoirdupois dram is 1/16 of an avoirdupois ounce, about 1.772 grams. It was historically used for spice trading and small commodity weights. It should not be confused with the heavier apothecary dram (3.888 g) or the liquid fluid dram (3.697 ml). ### Are either of these units still standard anywhere? The dekagram is standard for food shopping in Austria, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. The avoirdupois dram is obsolete for most purposes, surviving only in a few American cooking references and ammunition powder specifications. ## Non-Frequently Asked Questions ### If a Viennese coffee house served Apfelstrudel by the dram, how confusing would it be? A typical Apfelstrudel portion weighs about 20 Deka (200 grams) or roughly 113 drams. Ordering '113 drams of Apfelstrudel' in a Viennese Kaffeehaus would produce bewilderment, possibly followed by a polite suggestion to try the Sachertorte instead. Vienna and the dram do not belong in the same sentence. ### Did any culture ever use both dekagrams and drams? Almost certainly not. The dram was an English/American unit; the dekagram is Central European. Their historical user bases did not overlap. An 18th-century Austrian merchant used local units (Loth, Pfund), not drams. Only modern conversion tables bring these two units together, like a meeting between strangers who have nothing in common. ### Which unit would a professional chef prefer? An Austrian chef uses Deka without thinking. An American chef uses ounces. A French chef uses grams. Nobody uses drams for cooking in the 21st century. The dram's culinary career ended roughly when the British Empire did - and even before that, most cooks measured by sight and taste, not by dram. ## Related Articles - [Why We Measure: The Deepest Urge in Human Civilisation](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/why-we-measure) - [The Map Is Not the Territory: Why Every Measurement Is Wrong](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/the-map-is-not-the-territory) - [Zero: The Most Dangerous Number in Measurement](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/zero-the-most-dangerous-number-in-measurement) - [The Kilogram Problem: The Object That Was Its Own Definition](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/the-kilogram-problem) - [The Body as a Ruler: Every Measurement Unit That Came From Us](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/the-body-as-a-ruler) - [Why Your Recipe Is Lying to You: The Chaos of Cooking Measurements](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/why-recipe-measurements-are-unreliable) - [15 Obscure Measurement Units You've Never Heard Of (But Still Need)](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/obscure-measurement-units-guide) - [When Measurements Go Wrong - Disasters, Blunders and Happy Accidents](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/when-measurements-go-wrong) - [The Surprising Stories Behind Everyday Units of Measurement](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/stories-behind-measurement-units) - [Metric vs. Imperial - The Complete Guide to the World's Two Measurement Systems](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/metric-vs-imperial-complete-guide) - [Understanding Weight Units - Kilograms, Pounds, Stones & Ounces](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/understanding-weight-units) - [Complete Baking Measurement Guide - Cups, Grams, Ounces](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/baking-measurement-guide) ## See Also - [Drams to Dekagrams](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/weight/drams-to-dekagrams/)