# What unit of measurement is used for mass?

We measure objects not only in physics or chemistry labs but in our day to day life. Whenever we are measuring any object we must measure it according to some predefined units which are standards for industry and scientific community. This article is about units of measurements for measuring mass.

## What unit of measurement is used for mass?

A simple answer to this question can be $Kg$ or pound. These are the most common units of mass we encounter in our day to day life. It must be noted that Kilogram is the SI unit of mass and a pound is an imperial unit of mass.

To convert from kg to pound,

multiply the kg unit by 2.20462 (1 kg = 2.2 lb)

To convert from pound to kg,

multiply the pound unit by 0.453592 (1 lb = 0.45 kg)

But the question arises are these the only units of measurement that are being used to measure mass?

The answer is no. There are several units of mass used in various systems of units. Also sometimes it depends on the object whose mass we are measuring. For example

To measure the mass of a person we use units like Kg or lbs but if we are measuring the mass of subatomic particles we might employ another unit altogether, for example, $amu$ (atomic mass unit). We can always perform a conversion between units where

amu (atomic mass unit)$=1.6605 \times 10^-27 kg$

Please note that $amu$ is not an SI unit of mass.

Apart from $Kg$, pound, and $a.m.u.$ there are many other units that are used to measure mass. The table given below shows some of the frequently used units of mass

These are all different units used for measurement of mass and different units are employed depending on the object whose mass we are measuring. For example, we often use grams as a unit of measurement of mass when we buy spices and we use Kilogram while buying vegetables. It all depends on the quantity of mass in the object we are measuring.
Metric Ton is a unit of mass that is equivalent to 1,000 Kg. Now, this is a large unit of mass and is used for measuring huge or massive objects. For example, if you want to measure the mass of a truckload of stones for construction of a building Metric Ton might be a better unit to use instead of gram or Kilogram