barrel

barrel
   1. (bbl or brl or bl)
   a commercial unit of volume used to measure liquids such as beer and wine.
   The official U. S. definition of the barrel is 31.5 gallons, which is about 4.211 cubic feet or 119.24 liters. This unit is the same as the traditional British wine barrel. In Britain the barrel is now defined to be 36 Imperial gallons, which is substantially larger: about 5.780 cubic feet or 163.66 liters. This unit is slightly smaller than the traditional British beer and ale barrel, which held 5.875 cubic feet or 166.36 liters. There are other official barrels, defined in certain U.S. states; most of them fall in the general range of 30-40 gallons. A barrel of beer in the U.S., for example, is usually 31 U.S. gallons (117.35 liters). The origin of the standard symbol bbl is not clear. The "b" may have been doubled originally to indicate the plural (1 bl, 2 bbl), or possibly it was doubled to eliminate any confusion with bl as a symbol for the bale (see above). Note: Some web sites are claiming that "bbl" originated as a symbol for "blue barrels" delivered by Standard Oil in its early days; this is incorrectbecause there are citations for the symbol at least as early as the late1700s, long before Standard Oil was founded.
   2. (bbl or bo)
   a commercial unit of volume used to measure petroleum. By international agreement a barrel of petroleum equals 42 U. S. gallons, which is about 158.987 liters. The symbol bo (barrel of oil) is used for this unit in the petroleum industry. The petroleum barrel originated in the Pennsylvania oilfields (the first commercial oilfields) in the late nineteenth century. Apparently, 40-gallon barrels were increased to 42 gallons to provide insurance aganst any spillage or underfilling. By coincidence (it seems), this unit is the same size as the traditional tierce, a wine barrel.
   3. (bbl or brl or bl)
   a commercial unit of volume used to measure dry commodities such as apples.
   The U. S. dry barrel, established by Congress in 1912, is 105 dry quarts, which is about 4.083 cubic feet or 115.63 liters. (This is the only case in the United States customary system where a dry volume is less than the corresponding fluid volume.) For certain commodities, other sizes are traditional in the U.S.; for example, a barrel of sugar was traditionally 5 cubic feet (about 141.58 liters). In Newfoundland, a barrel of herring held 32 Imperial gallons (145.47 liters) but a barrel of sand was only 18 Imperial gallons (81.83 liters).
   4. (bbl)
   a commercial unit of weight, varying with the commodity being measured. In the U.S., for example, a barrel of flour traditionally holds 196 pounds (88.90 kg) and a barrel of beef, fish, or pork 200 pounds (90.72 kg). A barrel of cement is traditionally equal to 4 bags, which is 376 pounds (170.55 kg) in the U.S. and 350 pounds (158.76 kg) in Canada. In old England, a barrel of herrings was 32 pounds (14.51 kg) and a barrel of soap was 256 pounds (116.12 kg).

Dictionary of units of measurement. 2015.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Barrel — Bar rel (b[a^]r r[e^]l), n.[OE. barel, F. baril, prob. fr. barre bar. Cf. {Barricade}.] 1. A round vessel or cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends or heads; as, a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • barrel — bar‧rel [ˈbærəl] noun [countable] 1. TRANSPORT a large round container with a flat top and bottom, used for storing and carrying liquids such as oil and beer: • barrels of beer 2. an amount of a liquid contained in a barrel, used as unit of… …   Financial and business terms

  • barrel — [bar′əl, ber′əl] n. [ME barel < OFr baril < ML barillus < ?] 1. a large, wooden, cylindrical container with flat, circular ends and sides that bulge outward, made usually of staves bound together with hoops 2. the capacity or contents of …   English World dictionary

  • Barrel 30 — (Веррес,Италия) Категория отеля: Адрес: Via Jean Baptiste Barrel 30, 11029 Веррес, Италия …   Каталог отелей

  • barrel — (n.) c.1300, from O.Fr. baril (12c.) barrel, cask, vat, with cognates in all Romance languages (Cf. It. barile, Sp. barril), but origin uncertain; perhaps from Gaulish, perhaps somehow related to BAR (Cf. bar) (n.1). Meaning metal tube of a gun… …   Etymology dictionary

  • barrel — ► NOUN 1) a large cylindrical container bulging out in the middle and with flat ends. 2) a measure of capacity for oil and beer (36 imperial gallons for beer and 35 for oil). 3) a cylindrical tube forming part of an object such as a gun or a pen …   English terms dictionary

  • Barrel 38 — (Турин,Италия) Категория отеля: Адрес: Via Nicola Fabrizi 38, 10143 Турин, Италия …   Каталог отелей

  • Barrel — [Aufbauwortschatz (Rating 1500 3200)] Bsp.: • 1 Barrel = ca. 30 40 Gallonen • 1 Barrel Öl = 159 l …   Deutsch Wörterbuch

  • Barrel — Bar rel (b[a^]r r[e^]l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Barreled} ( r[e^]ld), or {Barrelled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Barreling}, or {Barrelling}.] To put or to pack in a barrel or barrels. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Barrel — Barrel, in England Flüssigkeitsmaß = 2 Kilderkins = 4 Firkins = 36 Imperialgallons = 163,5645 l; in den Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika Gewicht, bei gesalzenen Fischen und Pökelfleisch = 90,7 kg netto, bei Mehl = 88,9 kg netto, bei Harz 127… …   Lexikon der gesamten Technik

  • Barrel — (engl., spr. bärrĕl), engl. Biermaß = 36 Imperialgallons = 163,56 l; Gewichtsbegriff verschiedener Größe für Weizenmehl = engl. 196 Pfund ( = 88,9 kg), Butter = 224, Seife = 256, Pottasche = 200 engl. Pfund …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

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