maund

Two unrelated but sometimes confounded units, the first an important Islamic unit of mass, and the second an old English unit of capacity. After the 18th century, when the word occurs in English it is almost always an Islamic unit that is meant.

1

An Islamic unit of mass. In the mid-20th century it had the following values:

Aden	28 pounds av. (approximately 12.7 kilograms). "In the early part of 1913 the price of Mathari [coffee] has been $5.50 per maund of 28 pounds.” Walter H. Schulz. The Year in Aden. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. Daily Consular and Trade Reports. Nos. 75-151; Volume 2; April, May and June 1913. Washington: U.S.G.P.O., 1913. Page 886. Report 116, May 19, 1913.
Aden	the imperial maund = 40 seer, approximately 37.32 kilograms (approximately 82.28 pounds av.) (UN 1966)
Bahrain	56 pounds av. (approximately 25.4 kilograms). (UN 1966)
Bangladesh	80 pounds [Statesman's Yearbook 93-94]
India	The Standards of Weights and Measures Act (No. 89 of 1956, amended in 1960 and 1964), which established the metric system in India, defined the maund as exactly 37.3242 kilograms. Table of earlier values
Oman , the Muscat maund	approximately 4.04 kilograms. (UN 1966)
Nepal	approximately 37.32 kilograms (about 82.28 pounds av). (UN 1966)
Pakistan	approximately 37.324 kilograms. (UN 1966)
Saudi Arabia	approximately 37.285 kilograms (approximately 82.2 pounds av.) (UN 1966)

2

In England, 15th – 18th centuries, a unit of capacity, probably about 2 or 3 pecks, except for unbound books, for which 1 maund = 2 fatts = 8 bales = 40 reams.

The object called a maund was a small wicker basket with handles. The unit maund was used to measure quantities of oranges, gloves, and other stuff that would be carried in such a basket. It is usually possible to distinguish the two by the context. For example, in every occurrence of the maund in the London Petty Customs accounts¹ for 1480-81, it is accompanied by an enumeration of contents, which shows the maund is not being used as a unit. For example:

2 Oct. From the ship of David Williamson called Mary of Rotherhithe
James Warre, A[lien], 1 maund with 8 pieces Ghentish linen cloth containing 200 ells, 50 shillings [the duty]

1. H. S. Cobb, editor.
The Overseas Trade of London. Exchequer Customs Accounts 1480-1.
London Record Society, 1990.

The quotation is from entry 6 (page 3); the maund also appears in entry 24 (page 8), entry 33 (page 13), entry 58 (page 20), entry 60 (page 21) and entry 120 (page 36).

sources

Bookes unbound…the basket or maund cont. eight bales or two fatts

“A Subsidy granted to the King of Tonnage and Poundage and other summes of Money payable upon Merchandize Exported and Imported.”
A statute from the 12th year of Charles II, 1660. The selection is from the Booke of Rates, which is not part of the statute proper but developed from it. Both are printed in:
Statutes of the Realm, Volume 5: 1628-80, John Raithby, editor.
London: 1819.