A number of different

units of measurement A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any other quantity of that kind can be expressed as a multi ...

were used in Chile to measure quantities like length, mass, area, capacity, etc. From 1848, the

metric system The metric system is a system of measurement that succeeded the decimalised system based on the metre that had been introduced in France in the 1790s. The historical development of these systems culminated in the definition of the Interna ...

has been compulsory in Chile.

Pre-metric units

Spanish customary units were used before 1848.

Length

To measure length several units were used. Legally, one vara is equal to 0.836 m. Some of the units and their legal values as follows: * 1 línea = vara * 1 pulgada = vara * 1 pie = vara * 1 cuadra = 150 vara * 1 legua = 5400 vara

Mass

Several units were used to measure mass. One libra is equal to 0.460093 kg. Some other units are given below: * 1 grano = libra * 1 adarme = libra * 1 sastellano = libra * 1 onza = libra * 1

arroba ''Arroba'' is a Portuguese and Spanish custom unit of weight, mass or volume. Its symbol is @. History The word ''arroba'' has its origin in Arabic ''ar-rubʿ'' (الربع) or "quarter," specifically the fourth part (of a quintal), which de ...

= 25 libra * 1 quintal = 100 libra

Capacity

Mainly two systems, dry and liquid, were used to measure capacity in Chile.

Dry

One

almud The almud is a unit of measurement of volume used in France, Spain and in parts of the Americas that were colonized by each country. The word comes from the Arabic al-múdd." The exact value of the ''almud'' was different from region to region, and ...

was equal to 8.083 L. 12 almud were equal to one fanega.

Liquid

One cuartillo was equal to 1.111 L. 32 cuartillo were equal to one

References

{{Systems of measurement Chilean culture

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...