What is a Gram?

The gram equals one thousandth of a kilogram (0.001 kg) and is the everyday metric unit for cooking ingredients, postage, jewelry, pharmaceuticals, and small product weights. Originally defined in 1795 as 'the absolute weight of a volume of pure water equal to a cube of one hundredth of a meter at the temperature of melting ice,' the gram is now formally defined via the kilogram. It relates simply to the milligram (1,000 mg = 1 g) and the kilogram (1,000 g = 1 kg). European nutrition labels universally use grams for ingredient quantities, and recipes worldwide outside North America measure ingredients by mass in grams rather than by volume. Gold and silver are traded in grams for small quantities, while gemstones use carats (0.2 g = 1 carat). A standard paper clip weighs about 1 g.

Visual reference for how the gram relates to other weight units. Each row links to the full converter for that pair.

• European cooking and baking recipes
• Over-the-counter medication dosages
• Gold, silver and gemstone retail (per gram pricing)

• ✓1 kitchen tablespoon of water weighs about 15 g, but 1 tablespoon of flour is only 8 g — density varies.
• ✓A kitchen scale reads to 1 g; a jewellery scale to 0.01 g.
• ✓Gold is priced by gram in Europe and per troy ounce in international markets.

• ✗Assuming a tablespoon of any ingredient equals 15 g — true only for water.
• ✗Confusing g (gram) with mg (milligram) on medication labels.
• ✗Using 28 g instead of 28.35 g when converting an ounce in precision baking.