How many grams are in one dram?

One avoirdupois dram equals approximately 1.7718 grams. This comes from 1 dram being 1/16 of an ounce, and 1 ounce being approximately 28.3495 grams: 28.3495 / 16 = 1.7718.

Is the dram-to-gram conversion commonly needed?

Occasionally. Historical recipe translation, antique pharmaceutical record interpretation, and vintage ammunition specification conversion all require dram-to-gram knowledge. Modern references avoid drams entirely.

What everyday objects weigh about one dram?

One dram (1.77 grams) is roughly the weight of a small paperclip, a raisin, or half a US nickel coin. It is a tangible but small quantity - enough to feel in your hand but not enough to notice in your pocket.

Drams to Grams (dr to g) Converter

1 dr = 1.7718 g

1 Dram equals 1.7718 Grams (1 dr = 1.7718 g). Convert Drams to Grams with formula, table, and examples.

One dram equals approximately 1.7718 grams. The gram, the everyday metric mass unit, provides a clean and universally understood alternative to the increasingly obscure dram. At roughly 1.77 grams per dram, the conversion is useful for interpreting historical recipes, pharmaceutical records, and ammunition specifications that use drams alongside modern gram-based measurements.

How to Convert Drams to Grams

g = dr × 1.7718451953

Multiply the value in Drams by 1.7718451953

Take your value in Drams
Multiply by 1.7718451953
Read the result in Grams

Common Drams to Grams Conversions

Drams (dr)	Grams (g)	Status
0.25 dr	0.443 g
0.5 dr	0.8859 g
1 dr	1.7718 g
2 dr	3.5437 g
5 dr	8.8592 g
10 dr	17.7185 g
16 dr	28.3495 g
25 dr	44.2961 g
50 dr	88.5923 g
100 dr	177.1845 g
256 dr	453.5924 g
500 dr	885.9226 g
1,000 dr	1,771.8452 g

Good to Know About Drams to Grams Conversion

The dram-to-gram conversion of 1.7718 encapsulates the fundamental incompatibility between the English and metric systems. The number is not round, not memorable, and not convenient - it is simply the mathematical consequence of two independently developed measurement traditions colliding. Every awkward conversion factor in this table tells the same story: human measurement evolved locally before it was unified globally.

Drams to Grams: What You Need to Know

A dram of ground ginger (1.77 grams) is roughly half a teaspoon - a typical recipe amount. Victorian cookbooks occasionally specify spice quantities in drams, and converting these to grams helps modern cooks reproduce historical recipes accurately. A dram of black powder (1.77 grams) was also a common unit in early firearms, making this conversion relevant for antique weapons researchers.

What is a 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.

Imperial historical pharmacy old recipes whisky measurement

Learn more about Dram →

What is a Gram? g

A metric unit of mass equal to one thousandth of a kilogram. Widely used in cooking, nutrition labeling, and science.

Metric cooking nutrition labels postal weight

Learn more about Gram →

Going the other way? Use our Grams to Drams converter.

Drams to Grams FAQ

One avoirdupois dram equals approximately 1.7718 grams. This comes from 1 dram being 1/16 of an ounce, and 1 ounce being approximately 28.3495 grams: 28.3495 / 16 = 1.7718.
Occasionally. Historical recipe translation, antique pharmaceutical record interpretation, and vintage ammunition specification conversion all require dram-to-gram knowledge. Modern references avoid drams entirely.
One dram (1.77 grams) is roughly the weight of a small paperclip, a raisin, or half a US nickel coin. It is a tangible but small quantity - enough to feel in your hand but not enough to notice in your pocket.

Non-Frequently Asked Questions About Drams to Grams

Questions nobody should ask - but someone did.

Most Victorian home cooks did not own scales precise enough for drams. They used 'dram' as an approximate term, similar to how modern cooks use 'a pinch.' A Victorian grandmother adding 'a dram of mace' was probably eyeballing about 1.8 grams of spice and calling it done. Precision in historical cooking was more aspiration than practice.
Because the ounce (28.35 grams) divided by 16 gives 1.7718 - an unavoidably awkward result. The ounce itself has an awkward gram equivalent because it was defined in the English system long before the gram existed. The dram inherited this awkwardness by being one-sixteenth of an already-awkward unit.
Confusing avoirdupois drams with apothecary drams (3.89 grams) has caused pharmaceutical errors historically. The two units share a name but differ by a factor of 2.2. A patient receiving 2.2 times their intended dose could face serious harm. This ambiguity was one reason the pharmaceutical industry abandoned drams entirely in favor of milligrams.