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Sweden
premetric units of mass

Like many nations, pre-modern Sweden had one system of units for weighing precious metals, another for drugs, and a third (called victualievikt) for almost everything else. What greatly complicates Swedish units of mass is that victualievikt was not used for metals. For weighing metal the Swedes devised six additional systems of units of mass. Weighing the same object using different systems was used as a way of accounting for, in one case, the cost of transportation, and in another, the loss of mass in forging pig iron into bar iron.

In these different systems the names of the units, and even their subdivisions are often the same. Only the magnitudes differ, so that in stating the weight of a quantity of metal it is necessary to give not only the name of the unit, but also the name of the system of units being used. For example, a piece of iron weighing 10 markpund bergsvikt also weighs 7.69 markpund takjarnsvikt. To simplify recording quantities, each of the systems had its own symbol.

The comments below use the modern, post-1906, spellings, for example, “vikt”. But at the time the terms were actually in use the old spellings would have been used, for example, “vigt”. As with all Sizes charts, the individual entries for units will give more information and usually more precise magnitudes than the charts can.

Viktualievikt

The system used for most commodities, not just victuals. Also spelled wictualje wigt. The symbol was a circle.

Decimal system of masses, 1855 – 1878

Bergsvikt

(“miners’ weight”). Also called bergwerkswigt, bergshammarvigt, bergslagsvigt, bergslags järnvikt, hammarvigt. Used for iron at forges. The symbol was a hexagon.

Tackjärnsvikt

Literally, “pig iron weight”. Used to weigh pig iron being given to a worker to forge into iron bars. Coupled with bergsvikt it formed a way of compensating for the loss of material during forging. If pig iron is weighed by tackjärnsvigt and bar iron by bergsvikt, for every 1 markpund tackjärnsvikt of pig iron delivered to the forge, 1 markpund bergsvikt of bar iron will be produced. The reduced weight of markpund bergsvikt made up for the loss of material; it took 13 markpund bergsvikt to make 10 markpund tackjärnsvikt, and 13 kilograms of pig iron to make 10 kilograms of bar iron. The symbol was a triangle.

The number of decimal places in the equivalents are taken from the sources; they are, of course, ridiculous.

Landstatswigt

(“country and city weight”)

Stapelstadsvigt

In the Middle Ages Sweden was a major exporter of iron and other metals, a trade regulated by the government. Iron could only be exported from certain cities possessing customs houses. These cities were called “stapelstads.” Stapelstadsvigt was used for weighing iron. Also called jernwigt, järnwikt, kopparvigt (copper weight), metallvigt (metal weight), Stockholmsvigt, utskeppningsvigt and lått vigt (“light weight”, when contrasted with svår vigt, “heavy weight”, another name for viktualievikt). The symbol was an octogon.

Uppstadsvikt

“Uppstads” were cities from which exportation of metal was forbidden. The symbol was a quadrangle.

Myntvikt, to 1830

Medicinalvikt

Basis of mark

Relations between systems

The relations were fixed proportions.

sources

The many different weights formerly in use in Sweden, are at present (with the exception of apothecaries' and jewellers' weights) reduced to a uniform system, having the ancient victual pound, equal to 0.93 lb. avoirdupois, for unit.

A Handbook for Travellers in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Third edition, revised.
Sweden, Page 4.
London: John Murray, 1871.

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Last revised: 28 June 2008.