The hoppus
cubic foot (or ‘hoppus cube’ or ‘h cu ft’) was the standard volume measurement used for
timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...
in the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
and countries in the British sphere of influence before the introduction of
metric units
Metric units are units based on the metre, gram or second and decimal (power of ten) multiples or sub-multiples of these. The most widely used examples are the units of the International System of Units (SI). By extension they include units of e ...
. It is still used in the hardwood trade of some countries.
This volume measurement was developed to estimate what volume of a round log would be usable timber after processing, in effect attempting to ‘square’ the log and allow for waste.
The hoppus ton (HT) was also a traditionally used unit of volume in British
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...
. One hoppus ton is equal to 50 hoppus feet or 1.8027 cubic metres. Some shipments of tropical hardwoods, especially shipments of
teak
Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters ( pan ...
from
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
(Burma), are still stated in hoppus tons.
History
The English surveyor
Edward Hoppus introduced the unit in his 1736 manual of practical calculations. The tables include reference to stone as well as timber, as stone can similarly suffer wastage during processing into regular pieces.
Calculation of timber volume in round logs
The following calculation can be used to estimate the usable timber in round logs using a "girth tape" that is calibrated in "quarter-girth inches" (e.g. that shows "12" when measuring a 48-inch-circumference log):
: Hoppus Volume (h ft) = ("Quarter Girth" (in))
2 × Length (ft) / 144 = (circumference (ft) / 4)
2 × Length (ft)
Equivalents
* 1 h ft = 1.273 ft
3
* 27.74 h ft = 1 m
3
* 1 h ft = 0.03605 m
3
See also
*
Board foot
The board foot or board-foot is a unit of measurement for the volume of lumber in the United States and Canada. It equals the volume of a length of a board, one foot wide and thick.
Board foot can be abbreviated as FBM (for "foot, board measure" ...
*
Cord
Cord or CORD may refer to:
People
* Alex Cord (1933–2021), American actor and writer
* Chris Cord (born 1940), American racing driver
* Errett Lobban Cord (1894–1974) American industrialist
* Ronnie Cord (1943–1986), Brazilian singer
* Co ...
*
Cubic ton
*
List of unusual units of measurement
An unusual unit of measurement is a unit of measurement that does not form part of a coherent system of measurement, especially because its exact quantity may not be well known or because it may be an inconvenient multiple or fraction of a base ...
*
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 ...
References
{{Imperial units
Imperial units
Units of volume
Units of measurement in surveying