arroba [Spanish]

From the Arabic rub'a. Symbol, @.

1

Various units of capacity in the Spanish-speaking world, ? – 21st centuries:

Spain and Ifni	for cooking oil, approximately 12.563 liters (about 3.32 U.S. gallons). (United Nations, 1966)
Spain and Ifni	The arroba of wine is about 16.14 liters (about 4.263 U.S. gallons). Synonymous with cántara.
Bolivia	See arroba in Bolivia.
Chile	40 liters in central Chile, 35.5 liters in the north. (Technical Factors..., 1972, page 132.) Doursther (1840) says that at Valparaiso it was taken as 8¼ imperial gallons, or 37.48 liters.
Colombia	12.56 liters (3.32 U.S. gallons). Synonymous with cantara.
Cuba	The arroba of wine, about 16.14 liters (about 4.263 U.S. gallons).
Honduras	A unit of dry capacity, 16.6 liters.
Panama	12.56 liters (about 3.32 U.S. gallons). Synonymous with cantara.
Peru	A unit of liquid capacity used for wine, 16.1 liters.
Spain	The arroba mayor, for wine, after the standard of Toledo, about 16.137 liters (3.552 imp gallons) The arroba menor, for oil, about 12.564 liters.
Venezuela	The arroba of wine, about 16.14 liters (about 4.263 U.S. gallons).

Sources

Roue 3 e un nono d'olio di misure di Sybilia fa in Firenze orcio uno.

Three and 1/9th arroba of oil by the measure of Seville makes one Florentine orcio.

Chiarini, 1481.

2

Various units of mass in the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking worlds, at least as early as the 15th – 21st centuries. Originally it = ¼ cantaro.

Argentina	= 25 libras, about 11.512 kg (about 25.383 pounds av.) Argentina 25.3171
Belize and the Dominican Republic United Nations, 1966.	= 25 pounds avoirdupois (approximately 11.34 kilograms).
Brazil Technical Factors..., 1972, page 105.	mid-20th century, = 15 kilograms, for kapok, alfalfa, cotton (with seeds), pork
Chile, , El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Spain (but see Valencia, below) and Venezuela United Nations, 1966. Technical Factors..., 1972, page 132.	= 25 libras (taken as = 11.5 kilograms, approximately 25.35 pounds av.)
Colombia Technical Factors..., 1972, page 134.	= 25 libras = 12.5 kilograms (approximately 27.57 pounds av.) Used for grain.
Costa Rica Technical Factors..., 1972, page 137.	= 25 libras = 11.50 kilograms
Cuba Technical Factors..., 1972, page 140.	= 25 libras = 11.50 kilograms
Ecuador Technical Factors..., 1972, page 150.	= 25 libras = 2 botija = 11.5 kilograms.
El Salvador Technical Factors..., 1972, page 155.	= 25 libras = 11.5 kilograms.
Mexico, 19th century (Robelo, 1908) 20th century (United Nations, 1966)	about 11.506 158 5 kilograms
Paraguay	11.475 kilograms (approximately 25.298 pounds av.)
Portugal, Goa	= 32 arrateis, about 14.688 kg, about 32.385 pounds av.
Puerto Rico	25 pounds avoirdupois (about 11.34 kg) Symbol, @. Currently used by cattle ranchers in describing the weight of their animals.
Spain, Castile Technical Factors..., 1972, page 140.	= 25 libras, 11.5023 kilograms. Now = 11.5 kilograms
Spain, Catalonia	= 26 libras, about 10.400 kilograms.
Spain, Valencia	The ordinary arroba = 36 libras, about 12.816 kg. The arroba sutil or arroba delgada, = 30 libra, about 10.680 kg. An arroba of flour, about 11.302 kg.
Uruguay	10 kilograms (approximately 22.05 pounds av.)
Venezuela	25.4024 pounds

Sources

La roua della lana di Valenza che libbre xxxvj fanno in Firenze libbre xxxvij e mezo intendi che ogni cantare chosì grosso chome soctile è roue iiij e ogni roua chosì grossa chome soctile è libbre xxiiij, la libbra è once xv, e la lib. grosse xviij once sì che la roua soctile è libbre trenta d'once dodici per libbra e la grossa è libbra trentasei d'once dodici per libbra.

The arroba of wool in Valencia of 36 libra makes in Florence 37½ libbre; note that each cantaro whether grosso or sottile is 4 arroba and each arroba whether grosso or sottile is 24 libra, the libra is 15 oncia, and the heavy libra 18 oncia, therefore the arroba sottile is 30 of the 12-oncia libra, and the arroba grosso is 36 of the 12-oncia libra.

Chiarini, 1481, as quoted in Edler, page 252. Compare Borlandi pages 40-41.

The 36-libra arroba was used for wool and the 30-libra arroba for grain. See Borlandi, page 40.