US Bushels (bu) to Kannor (kanna) conversion

What is the US Bushel?

The US bushel is a large United States customary unit of dry volume used chiefly in agriculture to measure grain, fruit, and other bulk crops. It is the foundation of the US dry-measure system.

Definition

The US bushel (the Winchester bushel) is defined as exactly 2150.42 cubic inches.

$$1\ \text{bu} = 35.2391\ \text{L}$$

This equals 2150.42 × 16.387064 cm³ = 35239.07 cm³, which the NIST Guide to the SI tabulates as 3.523 907 × 10⁻² m³. One bushel contains 4 pecks, 32 dry quarts, or 64 dry pints. It should not be confused with the imperial bushel (36.36872 L), which is about 3% larger.

Origin and History

The Winchester bushel dates to a 1696 English statute (with roots in medieval standards kept at Winchester) and was defined as a cylinder 18.5 inches in diameter and 8 inches deep, giving 2150.42 in³. The United States adopted this measure, while Great Britain replaced it with the imperial bushel in 1824.

Law and Notable Facts

Although volumetric by definition, US grain trading uses the bushel as a weight-based unit: legal "bushel weights" fix a bushel of wheat or soybeans at 60 pounds, corn and rye at 56 pounds, and oats at 32 pounds. Commodity exchanges quote grain prices per bushel on this weight basis.

Real-World Examples and Conversions

• A bushel of shelled corn weighs 56 lb (about 25.4 kg) and occupies roughly 35.24 liters of loose volume.
• 1 US bushel = 4 pecks = 8 US dry gallons = 35.2391 L.
• 1 US bushel ≈ 0.9689 imperial bushel; 1 cubic meter ≈ 28.38 US bushels.

What is Kannor?

Kannor is the plural of kanna, an old Swedish unit of volume used for both liquids and dry goods before Sweden adopted the metric system. It was one of the most common everyday measures in Sweden for centuries, especially for spirits and other liquids.

Definition of Kanna

Following the Swedish measurement regulations of 1665, one kanna was standardized at approximately 2.617 litres.

$$1 \text{ kanna} \approx 2.617 \text{ L} = 2617 \text{ mL}$$

The kanna was part of a coherent system of Swedish volume units. Its subdivisions and multiples included:

• 1 kanna = 2 stop
• 1 kanna = 8 kvarter
• 1 kanna = 32 jungfrur
• 1 kanna = 1/48 tunna (barrel)

Origin and Formation

The kanna originated as a practical measure tied to common containers used for storing and transporting goods. Sweden brought its many local measures under a single national standard with the ordinances of 1665, which fixed the kanna at about 2.617 litres. The unit was used throughout Sweden (and Finland, then part of the Swedish realm) for trade in liquids such as beer, milk, and spirits, as well as for some dry goods.

Historical Significance and Usage

For more than two centuries the kanna was a mainstay of Swedish commerce and daily life. Merchants, brewers, and farmers measured and sold goods by the kanna and its subdivisions. The unit was gradually phased out as Sweden transitioned to the metric system, which became mandatory in 1889. After that, litres replaced kannor in everyday and legal use.

Conversions

Using the 1665 value of 2.617 litres:

• 1 kanna ≈ 2.617 litres
• 1 kanna ≈ 0.691 US gallons
• 1 kanna ≈ 0.576 Imperial gallons
• 100 kannor ≈ 261.7 litres

To convert a volume in kannor to litres:

$$\text{Volume in Liters} = \text{Volume in Kannor} \times 2.617$$

Laws and Associated Figures

The kanna was defined by Swedish royal measurement ordinances rather than by any single individual. Its standardization in 1665 and its eventual replacement by the metric system in 1889 reflect Sweden's long effort to bring consistency to weights and measures.