Cannabis Weights: How much is an eighth?

Weights and Measures- How much is an 8th?

What’s the difference between an eighth and a Henry? How much is a zip or a farmer’s daughter?

Understanding weights and measures and how cannabis can be packaged is often a confusing muddle of fractions, grams and slang terms. Even if you’ve been buying cannabis for a while you may find yourself confused by strange terminology or struggle to convert one set of measurements to another.

Knowing how much to expect in each purchase will quickly make you an expert consumer who will never find themselves short changed through lack of knowledge.

Many of the amounts and terms listed here can refer to a variable amount or a variable price. Price can vary according to area or supplier. So, when you expect to spend a fixed amount of cash you may find yourself with more or less bud for your buck depending on where you are. Likewise if you aim to purchase a fixed amount you may also find a large variation in the price. By understanding the terminology of weights and measures you will have a clearer idea of exactly what you are getting for your money.


Know Your Weights


Gram

This is the smallest amount you’re likely to find cannabis packaged in and is smaller than the sixteenth.

Sixteenth

A sixteenth refers to one sixteenth of an ounce (imperial measurements) and is the equivalent to just over 1.75 grams. This is one of the smallest amounts of cannabis available.  The exact value for a sixteenth is 1.77185 grams.

Eighth  

An eighth is the most commonly used amount and as you will find out later comes with a host of slang terms attached to it. It refers to an eighth of an ounce and is about 3.5 grams. The exact amount is 3.54369 grams.

Quarter  

A quarter is the same as two eighths and weighs one quarter of an ounce which is the same as about 7g. With this amount you are much less likely to run out in a hurry. The exact value for a quarter is 7.08738 grams.

Half     

A half will get you about 14 grams of cannabis which is equal to half an ounce and the same as four eighths. This is one of the larger amounts available and will see you through for quite a while. 14.1748 grams is the exact amount for a quarter.

Ounce

One ounce is the equivalent to about 28 grams and a measure that is used significantly less than an eighth. An ounce when weighed out precisely should measure 28.3495 grams.


US Slang


The slang words built up in the US often relate to the amount they refer to or are a reference to the amount they are worth. Some of the slightly stranger ones like zip come from what the cannabis is stored in when purchased.

Nickel Bag

A very small bag of cannabis costing 5 dollars. The amount you will get can vary depending on the supply.

G, Gram

Another very small amount weighing 1 gram.

Dime Bag, Dime, 10 Sack, Sawbuck      

A bag that will cost you 10 dollars. A sawbuck is a saw horse that was traditionally made in the shape of an X. When the U.S. ten dollar bill was published with the Roman numeral X (ten) they became known as sawbucks. You can expect to get somewhere around a gram for this amount.

Dub, Dub-Sack, 20 Bag, 20  

This is the equivalent of two dime bags hence ‘dub’ for double. In a dub you can expect to get your suppliers equivalent of 20 dollars’ worth of bud.

Double-Dub, 40 sack, 40 Bag, 40  

Also based on the value of the cannabis this is a bag with 40 dollars’ worth inside.   

Zip, Lid, Oz, O, Zone  

Slang for cannabis weighing an ounce (oz.) or 28 grams. Zip comes from the fact that this amount will roughly fill a standard Ziploc bag. Lid has a murkier past and while some people use it refer to an ounce it has also been used to describe smaller amounts such as roughly ¾ of an ounce or even 4 fingers off a full bag.

QP   

A very large quantity of cannabis this is a quarter of a pound which is the equivalent to 4 ounces or 113.4 grams.


UK Slang


UK terminology seems to originate more from cockney rhyming slang and shortened versions of the weights.

Teenth, Louis

Teenth is an abbreviated version of one sixteenth of an ounce weighing 1.77185 grams. Louis comes from Louis the 16th.

Henry, Garden Gate

Both of these refer to an eighth of an ounce. Henry is a reference to Henry the 8th and Garden Gate is rhyming slang for eight.

Q, Quad, Bottle, Farmer’s Daughter, Matchbox

A quarter of an ounce has probably some of the best UK cannabis slang terms. Bottle is short for bottle of water and along with farmer’s daughter is rhyming slang for quarter. Matchbox is a name that stretches right back to the 1940s when it was roughly the amount that could be hidden inside a matchbox.

Half-O, Halfie

This one is nice and straight forward and does what it says on the tin. Half an ounce.

Oz, Ozzy, O, Oscar

An ounce of cannabis (28 grams). Most of these relate to the fact that an ounce, when recording measurements, is often abbreviate as oz.

Ten Bag, Ten Bit, Tenner’s Worth

The only UK slang that actually refers to the cost of the cannabis. These are ten pound’s worth of bud.

Now that you have a better understanding of the language and amounts involved get yourself a small set of electronic scales so you will always know what you are getting for you money. Armed with the right lingo and your own scales you are now ready to get out there and converse with the experts.