Tael
Also: Tahil, Liang, 兩
The tael is a traditional East Asian weight unit for precious metals whose exact weight varies by region between roughly 37.4 g and 37.8 g.
The tael (also tahil, or in Chinese liang 兩) is one of the oldest weight units of East Asia and is still used today in the precious-metal trade of China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. Historically it served as a currency weight for silver — comparable to the European troy ounce — and later established itself as a standard size for gold bars too.
Regional variants
A defining feature of the tael is its lack of international uniformity. Each trading centre applies a different weight:
| Region | Weight |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong | 37.4290 g |
| Taiwan | 37.5000 g |
| China (metric, since 1959) | 50.0000 g |
| Singapore | ≈ 37.4290 g |
Anyone comparing tael bars of different origin must therefore always check the regional definition. The unit converter helps convert into grams or troy ounces.
Tael gold bars in Hong Kong
On the Hong Kong market the so-called tael bars (also biscuit bars) are widely traded. They are typically dealt in denominations of 1, 2, 5 and 10 tael and usually carry a fineness of 990 ‰ (99.0%) — slightly below the 999.9 ‰ common for European bars. The gross weight of a 1-tael bar is 37.4290 g; the fine weight follows as:
Fine weight = Gross weight × Fineness
Example: 37.4290 g × 0.990 = 37.055 g fine gold
To work out the current melt value, use the melt value calculator.
Historical significance
Right up to the 20th century the tael was the authoritative unit of account for silver across much of East Asia. The Chinese silver tael (kuping tael), among other things, underpinned trade agreements and reparation payments in the 19th century. With the introduction of the metric system in the People's Republic of China (1959) the liang was fixed at exactly 50 g, while Hong Kong and Taiwan held on to the older definition.
Distinction from related units
- Troy ounce: 31.1035 g — the international trading unit for precious metals
- Tola: 11.6638 g — a South Asian unit, above all on the Indian gold market
- Gram: the SI base unit, most widely used in Europe and worldwide
In global terms 1 Hong Kong tael corresponds to roughly 1.2034 troy ounces.
Quick recap
The tael is not a uniform quantity — its weight depends on the region. Anyone buying or selling East Asian tael bars should always check the definition of origin and the fineness, and cross-check against the current gold price.