sat [Thai ษัฏ]

In Thailand, 20^th century¹, a unit of capacity, = 20 liters (about 18.16 U.S. dry quarts). This value is often referred to as the standard sat, implying the existence of an earlier value.

A 19th century source² says the sat = 25 kanang, and describes the kanang as “reichlich ½ Liter” (a good half liter), which would make the sat at least 12.5 liters.

Other earlier sources give much smaller values. Simmonds (1892) says the sat is “a grain-measure of Siam, weighing 3 3/8 lbs and holding about 3½ pints.” Alexander (1850) describes it as a measure of “dry capacity, 0.00837 bushels” (295 milliliters) and says that 40 sat equal 1 sesti.³

1. United Nations, 1966.

2. Nelkenbrecher, 1890. Page 65.

3. Page 139.