Definition

1. Noun:
   • A unit of weight in the US Customary System: A "short hundredweight" is a specific unit of mass equal to 100 pounds (approximately 45.359 kilograms). It is primarily used in the United States.

Usage

• The "short hundredweight" is used in commerce and industry in the United States to measure weight, particularly for goods like grains, livestock, or industrial materials.
• It is often abbreviated as cwt (from the historical term "centum weight," meaning a hundredweight). In contexts where the distinction is necessary, the "short" hundredweight (100 lb) is contrasted with the "long" hundredweight (112 lb) used in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries.

Examples

Advanced Usage

• Contractual and Commercial Specifications: The term "short hundredweight" is crucial in contracts and trade within the US to avoid ambiguity with the imperial hundredweight.
  • The steel was priced per short hundredweight, as per the domestic market standard.

Variants and Related Words

• Hundredweight (cwt): The general term. In American English, this usually implies the "short hundredweight" of 100 lb.
• Long hundredweight: A unit of weight equal to 112 pounds, used in the imperial system.
• Cental: Another term, now less common, for a unit of 100 pounds.

Synonyms

• Centum weight (cwt): The formal abbreviation.
• 100 lb: The explicit weight equivalent.

Notes on Meaning

• The "short hundredweight" is one of the key units distinguishing the US Customary System from the British Imperial System. Its value is fixed at exactly 100 avoirdupois pounds.

Noun

1. a United States unit of weight equivalent to 100 pounds