Stone and pound are both units of mass commonly used to measure weight. But is there a difference between a stone vs pound?
The United States and the United Kingdom are two countries known for the pound as a unit of measurement. While other countries around the world are using a metric system where kilogram (Kg) is used to measure weight, the UK and the United States prefer and use the Imperial System.
Now between these two units of measurement, one is a larger unit of mass than the other. Which unit of measurement between these two is larger and how do you mathematically convert stone to pound and vice versa?
Stay with us as we discuss the difference between a stone and a pound and how to mathematically convert these units of measurement.
What Is a Stone?
A stone is a unit of mass that is equal to 14 pounds and it’s commonly used to measure in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A stone also equals 6.3503 kilograms- Kilogram, a unit of measurement in the metric system.
Abbreviated as st., a stone weight is an imperial unit of weight. It’s the unit of mass used in the measurement of body weight in the United Kingdom.
Before now, other Germanic-speaking nations in Northern Europe previously used different standardised stones for the purpose of trade. Their value then ranges from five to forty local pounds.
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What Is a Pound?
A pound is a unit of mass commonly used in the United States and the United Kingdom to measure weight. It is a unit of mass that is equal to 16 avoirdupois ounces or 453.592 g or 0.453592 kilograms.
Abbreviated as lbs, a pound is equal to 7,000 grains in the avoirdupois or apothecaries systems.
The pound was approved by the National Bureau of Standards to be used in the United States in 1959. It’s a US Customary and Imperial unit of weight and is sometimes also abbreviated as lbm.
According to sources online, the meaning of the Latin word “Libra” was balance and scale.
The abbreviation for pound “lb” also stood for the Roman unit of measure “libra pondo”. It’s a word meant for a pound by weight.
Stone vs Pound: Key Difference between a Stone and a Pound
Pound is a unit of measurement used in the United States and the United Kingdom to measure weight. It’s used to measure body weight and just about any item weighing up to a pound.
While the pound is a unit of measurement used in these two countries, the stone is a unit of measurement only used in the United Kingdom. This is one of the major differences between a stone and a pound.
One stone is equivalent to 14 pounds or 6.3503 kilograms. It’s a larger unit of mass than the pound.
The pound and stone are two different units of measurement primarily used to measure weight, especially body weight. If you watch boxing or mixed martial arts (MMA), you must have heard the ring announcer saying how many pounds the challenger or champion weighs.
Many countries around the world use Kilograms to measure body weight. Like myself, am from a country where the Kilogram is the unit of measurement, even for body weight.
For someone who is only familiar with Kilogram as a unit of measurement, hearing the word “pound” for the first as a unit of measurement was confusing.
Generally, the SI unit of mass is the Kilogram (kg) and the unit of measurement in the metric system.
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Stone vs Pound: early usage
The stone and the pound were formerly used in European countries. The pound is a unit of measurement derived from the Roman unit of libra. This is why the abbreviation of the pound is denoted as “lb”.
The stone is a unit of measurement that originated from the traditional method of the English and other Germanic-speaking countries of Northern Europe using different standardised stones for the purpose of trade.
In England, they adopted the wool stone as the measure for weighing items.
From the mid-19th century, European various stones were replaced by Kilogram. Although almost every European country adopted the metric system in the mid-19th century, the English are still using the pound and the stone.
The pound was approved by the National Bureau of Standards to be used in the United States in 1959. It’s a US Customary and Imperial unit of weight and is sometimes also abbreviated as lbm.
A pound is a unit of mass that is equal to 16 avoirdupois ounces or 453.592 g or 0.453592 kilograms.
A stone is a unit of mass that is equal to 14 pounds and it’s commonly used to measure in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A stone also equals 6.3503 kilograms.
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Stone vs Pound: Comparison Chart between Stone and Pound
| Stone | Pound | |
| Definition | A stone is a unit of mass that is equal to 14 pounds and it’s commonly used to measure in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A stone also equals 6.3503 kilograms. | A pound is a unit of mass commonly used in the United States and the United Kingdom to measure weight. It is a unit of mass that is equal to 16 avoirdupois ounces or 453.592 g or 0.453592 kilograms. |
| Description | An English and Imperial unit of mass. | A unit of mass generally used in the US Customary, the imperial, and other systems of measurement. |
| Abbreviation | st. | lb, and sometimes lbm, |
| Plural | Stone | Pounds |
| Type | A unit of measurement | A unit of measurement |
| Measures | Weight, mostly body weight. | Weight |
| Conversion | One stone is equal to 14 pounds (lbs). One stone is equal to 6.3503 kilograms. | One pound is equal to 453.592 grams or 0.453592 kilograms. |
| Primarily used in | The United Kingdom | The United States |
Stone vs Pound: How to Convert from Stone to Pound
How do you convert measurements from stone to pound?
You can convert measurements in stone to pounds by doing simple and basic math. We have already discussed the equivalent of one stone to the pound.
There is a formula you can use to convert stone to pounds. Since one stone is equal to 14 pounds, it means you will convert from stone to pounds by multiplication.
Here is a simple formula to convert stone to pound:
- X st. = X multiple by 14.
- X is the value in stone
For example, you want to convert 7.5 stone to pounds;
With the given formula X st. = X multiple by 14, here is what to do. X is 7.5 st. which will be multiplied with the number 14. The number 14 is what we call a constant, it remains unchanged.
So, it’s 7.5 X 14 = 105 pounds.
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How to Convert Pound to Stone
To convert pound to stone, you will have to divide the value in pounds by 14.
For example, you want to convert 200 pounds to stone. Simply divide 200 by 14 to get the answer. 200 pounds divided by 14 will give you 14.3 stone.
Conclusion
While other countries in the world are using a metric system where kilogram (Kg) is used to measure weight, the UK and the United States prefer and use the Imperial System.
Stone and pound are units of measurement but the former is primarily used in the United Kingdom to measure weight. Stone is a larger unit of mass than the pound, as one stone is equal to 14 pounds.
We hope this article on the difference between stone vs pound was helpful.
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References
- Differencebetween: Difference Between Stones and Pounds
- Differencebetween.info: Difference between Pound and Stone
- Wingy: Convert Stones to Pounds
- Wikipedia: Stone (unit)
- Toppr: What is Pounds – Definition and Conversion
