How many drams are in one gram?

One gram contains approximately 0.5644 avoirdupois drams. Conversely, one dram equals about 1.7718 grams.

Is the gram-to-dram conversion commonly used?

Occasionally. It is most needed when interpreting historical English recipes, pharmaceutical records, and ammunition specifications that used drams. Modern references have largely switched to grams.

What is the avoirdupois dram?

The avoirdupois dram is 1/16 of an avoirdupois ounce, about 1.772 grams. It should not be confused with the larger apothecary dram (about 3.888 grams) or the liquid fluid dram (a volume measure of about 3.697 ml).

Grams to Drams (g to dr) Converter

1 g = 0.5644 dr

1 Gram equals 0.5644 Drams (1 g = 0.5644 dr). Convert Grams to Drams with formula, table, and examples.

One gram equals approximately 0.5644 drams (avoirdupois). The gram is roughly half a dram, making the dram about 1.77 grams. This conversion helps interpret historical English recipes and pharmaceutical records that specified quantities in drams. When a Victorian cookbook calls for 'three drams of nutmeg,' a modern cook needs to know that is about 5.3 grams.

How to Convert Grams to Drams

dr = g × 0.5643833912

Multiply the value in Grams by 0.5643833912

Take your value in Grams
Multiply by 0.5643833912
Read the result in Drams

Common Grams to Drams Conversions

Grams (g)	Drams (dr)	Status
1 g	0.564383 dr
2 g	1.128767 dr
5 g	2.821917 dr
10 g	5.643834 dr
15 g	8.465751 dr
20 g	11.287668 dr
25 g	14.109585 dr
50 g	28.21917 dr
75 g	42.328754 dr
100 g	56.438339 dr
150 g	84.657509 dr
200 g	112.876678 dr
250 g	141.095848 dr
500 g	282.191696 dr
1,000 g	564.383391 dr
5,000 g	2,821.916956 dr
10,000 g	5,643.833912 dr

Good to Know About Grams to Drams Conversion

The gram replaced the dram in culinary and pharmaceutical use through a centuries-long transition that is still not entirely complete. Victorian recipes used drams; Edwardian recipes mixed drams and grams; modern recipes use grams (or teaspoons). This evolution from drams to grams mirrors the broader transition from traditional to metric measurement that swept through European and colonial commerce from the 1790s onward.

Grams to Drams: What You Need to Know

The gram's role as the world's everyday mass unit means that almost all historical dram-based data eventually gets converted to grams for modern use. Culinary historians translating 19th-century English recipes, pharmaceutical researchers reading Victorian prescription records, and antique weapons experts interpreting old ammunition specifications all need this conversion regularly.

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 →

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 →

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

Grams to Drams FAQ

One gram contains approximately 0.5644 avoirdupois drams. Conversely, one dram equals about 1.7718 grams.
Occasionally. It is most needed when interpreting historical English recipes, pharmaceutical records, and ammunition specifications that used drams. Modern references have largely switched to grams.
The avoirdupois dram is 1/16 of an avoirdupois ounce, about 1.772 grams. It should not be confused with the larger apothecary dram (about 3.888 grams) or the liquid fluid dram (a volume measure of about 3.697 ml).

Non-Frequently Asked Questions About Grams to Drams

Questions nobody should ask - but someone did.

Because 'about half' is not precise enough for pharmacy or ammunition. The actual factor is 0.5644, meaning a gram is 56.44% of a dram, not 50%. Over multiple drams, this 13% error compounds. A prescription for '10 drams' translated as '17.7 grams' is correct; translated as '20 grams' (using the rough half estimate) could be dangerously wrong.
Spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, mace), flavoring extracts (vanilla, almond), and some leavening agents. A typical Victorian spice cake might call for 2 drams of mixed spice (about 3.5 grams). The dram served as the standard small-quantity measure before teaspoons became widespread in cookbook writing.
A recipe calling for 'a dram of saffron' sounds considerably more elegant than '1.77 grams of saffron.' The dram carries historical weight that the gram, for all its precision, cannot match. If cookbooks were written for atmosphere rather than accuracy, the dram would make a triumphant comeback. But accuracy won, and the gram prevailed.