How do long and short hundredweights relate?

One long hundredweight (112 lbs) equals exactly 1.12 short hundredweights (100 lbs each). Conversely, one short hundredweight equals about 0.8929 long hundredweights. The factor of 1.12 comes directly from the ratio 112/100.

Why do Britain and America have different hundredweights?

Britain retained the medieval 112-pound standard based on 8 stones of 14 pounds. America simplified the hundredweight to 100 pounds when establishing its commercial system in the 19th century, arguing that a unit called 'hundredweight' should logically contain 100 of its base unit. Each country chose consistency with its own commercial tradition.

Has the difference ever caused trade disputes?

Frequently. Any contract between British and American parties that specifies 'per hundredweight' without qualification creates immediate ambiguity. The 12 percent price difference at scale can represent millions of dollars in large commodity deals. This is why modern international contracts almost always specify metric tons instead.

Hundredweights (UK) to Hundredweights (US) (cwt to cwt) Converter

1 cwt = 1.12 cwt

1 Hundredweight (UK) equals 1.12 Hundredweights (US) (1 cwt = 1.12 cwt). Convert Hundredweights (UK) to Hundredweights (US) with formula, table, and examples.

One long hundredweight equals exactly 1.12 short hundredweights. The long hundredweight at 112 pounds is the British standard, while the short hundredweight at 100 pounds is the American standard. The 12 percent difference reflects the divergence between British tradition and American simplification of the same unit name.

How to Convert Hundredweights (UK) to Hundredweights (US)

cwt = cwt × 1.12

Multiply the value in Hundredweights (UK) by 1.12

Take your value in Hundredweights (UK)
Multiply by 1.12
Read the result in Hundredweights (US)

Common Hundredweights (UK) to Hundredweights (US) Conversions

Hundredweights (UK) (cwt)	Hundredweights (US) (cwt)	Status
0.5 cwt	0.56 cwt
1 cwt	1.12 cwt
2 cwt	2.24 cwt
5 cwt	5.6 cwt
10 cwt	11.2 cwt
15 cwt	16.8 cwt
20 cwt	22.4 cwt
25 cwt	28 cwt
50 cwt	56 cwt
100 cwt	112 cwt
200 cwt	224 cwt
500 cwt	560 cwt

Good to Know About Hundredweights (UK) to Hundredweights (US) Conversion

The split between long and short hundredweights is a perfect microcosm of British-American cultural divergence. Britain kept its medieval units out of reverence for tradition; America simplified them in pursuit of rational efficiency. Neither nation was wrong on its own terms. The result was a century of transatlantic confusion, resolved only when both nations began abandoning the hundredweight entirely in favor of metric tons - a French invention that neither the British traditionalists nor the American rationalists had designed, but that served both better than either hundredweight.

Hundredweights (UK) to Hundredweights (US): What You Need to Know

This conversion is critical in transatlantic commodity trade, where British and American markets both use 'hundredweight' to mean different amounts. A contract specifying 'hundredweight' without clarifying which version can lead to a 12 percent quantity discrepancy - significant enough to affect pricing, shipping costs, and contractual compliance. International trade agreements must specify 'long cwt' or 'short cwt' to avoid ambiguity.

What is a Hundredweight (UK)? cwt

A UK hundredweight (long hundredweight) is exactly 112 pounds or 50.80234544 kilograms. Used in British agriculture and traditional commerce.

Imperial UK agriculture traditional British commerce

Learn more about Hundredweight (UK) →

What is a Hundredweight (US)? cwt

A US hundredweight (short hundredweight or cental) is exactly 100 pounds or 45.359237 kilograms. Used in US agriculture and commodities trading.

Imperial US agriculture commodities trading livestock

Learn more about Hundredweight (US) →

Going the other way? Use our Hundredweights (US) to Hundredweights (UK) converter.

Hundredweights (UK) to Hundredweights (US) FAQ

One long hundredweight (112 lbs) equals exactly 1.12 short hundredweights (100 lbs each). Conversely, one short hundredweight equals about 0.8929 long hundredweights. The factor of 1.12 comes directly from the ratio 112/100.
Britain retained the medieval 112-pound standard based on 8 stones of 14 pounds. America simplified the hundredweight to 100 pounds when establishing its commercial system in the 19th century, arguing that a unit called 'hundredweight' should logically contain 100 of its base unit. Each country chose consistency with its own commercial tradition.
Frequently. Any contract between British and American parties that specifies 'per hundredweight' without qualification creates immediate ambiguity. The 12 percent price difference at scale can represent millions of dollars in large commodity deals. This is why modern international contracts almost always specify metric tons instead.

Non-Frequently Asked Questions About Hundredweights (UK) to Hundredweights (US)

Questions nobody should ask - but someone did.

About 89.29 long hundredweights. You would receive 10,000 pounds of goods rather than the 11,200 pounds a British merchant might expect when hearing 'one hundred hundredweights.' The 1,200-pound shortfall (or 12 percent) is a recipe for very angry letters from Liverpool.
It ranks highly alongside the spelling of 'colour' and the pronunciation of 'aluminium.' But unlike those disputes, the hundredweight disagreement has genuine financial consequences. Millions of dollars have turned on whether 'cwt' means 100 or 112 pounds. No argument about the letter U has ever cost that much.
Technically yes, and it would please nobody. The British would consider it 6 pounds too light, the Americans would consider it 6 pounds too heavy, and the rest of the world would wonder why anyone still uses hundredweights at all when kilograms work perfectly well. Compromise in measurement systems has a spectacularly poor track record.