Malta
pre-metric units of mass

     

tunnellata

             

peżata

~4.2667

     

qantar

3

12.8

     

wiżna

20

60

256

       

qsima

4

80

240

1024

   

ratal

5

100

300

1,280

   

kwart

4

5

20

400

1200

5120

 

uqija

30

37½

150

3,000

9,000

38,400

kwart

4

30

120

150

600

12,000

36,000

153,600

ottav

2

8

60

240

300

1200

24,000

72,000

307,200

0.117
oz av

0.233
oz av

0.933
oz av

7
oz av

28
oz av

35
oz av

8.750
lbs av

175
lbs av

525
lbs av

2,240
lbs av

3.3
g

6.6
g

26.46
g

198.4
g

793.8
g

992.2
g

3.969
kg

79.38
kg

238.1
kg

1016.05
kg

Note the two kwarti. Some of these units may be largely legal fictions, seldom employed in practice.

At least as early as 1840 the qantar was treated commercially as equal to 175 pounds avoirdupois. In 1921 all surviving units were defined legally by British equivalents.

In the Italian period there were two versions of the ratal (or, to give it its Italian name, the rotolo), in the ratio 30:33, which is the number of onces to two different rotoli. Sicily also had two such rotoli. Using the Italian names, this leads to:

                         

tonnellata

                       

pesata

125/33

                   

light pesata*

1.1

4 1/6

                 

cantaro grosso

30/11

3

11 4/11

           

 

cantaro or quintale

1.1

3

3.3

12½

             

pesa

20

22

60

66

250

           

rotolo grosso

50/11

1000/11

100**

272 8/11

300

1136 12/33

           

rotolo

1.1

5

100

110

300

330

1250

       

libbra

12½

250

275

750

825

3125

       

oncia

12

30

33

150

3,000

3,300

9000

9900

37,500

   

dramma

8

96

240

264

1200

24,000

26,400

72,000

79,200

3,000,000

 

scrupolo

3

24

288

720

792

3600

72,000

79,200

216,000

237,600

9,900,000

 

acino

20

60

480

5760

14,400

15,840

72,000

1,440,000

1,584,000

4,320,000

4,752,000

198,000,000

Doursther

26.383

791.50

870.65

87.07

Board of Trade (1910)

             

3.969
kg

         

Martini (1883)

55
mg

1.102
g

3.307
g

26.460
g

317.515
g

793.787
g


 

79.3787
kg


 

238.136
kg

261.950
kg

992.234
kg

* Martini says that the pesata of 300 rotoli was (only?) used for retail sales of firewood; the usual pesata was 330 rotoli.

** Nelkenbrecher (1820, page 206) speaks of a “schwere Quintal” (“heavy quintale”) of 111 rotoli each of 2¾ libbre (that is, 111 rotoli grossi). This is almost certainly a scribal error. Universal Commerce (London, 1818, page 167) states: “Cheese, fish, hides and salted provisions are sold by the great cantar which consists of 110 rotolo.”

For precious metals, pearls, gemstones, etc.

During the Italian period precious metals were weighed with this system:

cantaro

pesa

20

rotolo

5

100

lira

2.5

12.5

250

oncia

12

30

150

3000

quarta

4

48

120

600

12000

octavo

2

8

96

240

1200

24,000

sedicesimo

2

4

16

192

480

2400

48,000

trapeso

2

4

8

32

384

960

4800

96,000

coccia

18

36

72

144

576

6912

17,280

86,400

1,728,000

45.8
mg

0.8245
g

1.65
g

3.30
g

6.60
g

26.385
g

316.6
g

791.5
g

3.96
kg

79.15
kg

Doursther (1840)  pages 87, 105, 226, 369, 562.

Robert Montgomery Martin.
History of the Colonies of the British Empire in the West Indies, South America, North America, Asia...
London: W. H. Allen & Co. and George Routledge, 1843.

Page 586.

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