[Thai. เกวียน] In Thailand, 20ᵗʰ century, a unit of capacity, = 2 cubic meters, which is 2,000 liters (about 528.4 U.S. gallons).1,2,3 A cartload. One kwein of rough rice, which is the commodity for which this unit is typically used, weighs about 1000 kilograms. Also romanized as kwien, kwian, kwiel. Abbreviation, kw.
See also coyan.
1. United Nations, 1966, and by the Weights and Measures Act B.E. 2542 (1999).
2. Technical Conversion Factors…, 1972, page 321.
On page 320, TCF gives a measure for rice as the “Kwiel (koyan)”, and states that a kwiel of paddy weighs 1010 kg, a kwiel of husked rice 1320 kg, and a kwiel of white rice 1380 kg. Whether “kwiel” is a misprint for “kwein” or a separate unit we know not.
3. J. L. Maclean, D. C. Dawe, B. Hardy and G. P. Hettel.
Rice Almanac. 3rd edition.
Oxon, UK: CABI Publishing, 2002.
Page 247.
In Syria , a unit of capacity interpreted as a unit of mass, used for paddy, = 1000 kilograms. Obviously related to the Thai unit.
Technical Conversion Factors…, 1972, page 313.
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Last revised: 9 October 2010.