Half 1/2
One of 2 equal parts. Half a dozen = 6 items.
Definition ↗TRADITIONAL MALTESE MEASURESOld measures.
Old measures.
Modern understanding.
Discover Malta’s traditional measures. Convert them, understand them, and keep their stories alive.
Free to use · No account · In your browser01THE CONVERTER
From then to now
Choose a measure. Enter an amount. Find its equivalent.
No thousands separator; use a decimal point, e.g. 1.5.
Instant result
Context makes the difference
A FAMILIAR PLACE TO START
All the measures ↗Old words. Familiar measures.
02SEE THE MEASURE
Get a feel for the measure.
More than numbers. See how the measures compare.
Land areaArea compared with 1,000 m². Squares show proportions of area, not the shape or side lengths of a real field. Rounded value. Definition & sources ↗
How much land is a tomna?
- Tomna
- ≈ 1,124 m²
Length & distanceBar lengths are proportional. This is the later qasba system; it is not a physical on-screen ruler. Definition & sources ↗
Qasba. Xiber. Pulzier.
- Qasba
- ≈ 2.0955 m
- Xiber
- ≈ 0.2619 m
- Pulzier
- ≈ 0.0218 m
Weight30 uqija make one ratal in this system. The balance illustrates the relationship; it does not depict a historical artefact. Definition & sources ↗
One weight, different words.
- Ratal
- ≈ 793.8 g
- Uqija
- ≈ 26.46 g
Liquid volumeFill heights show capacity proportions in containers with equal cross-sections. These are not dimensions of historical vessels. Definition & sources ↗
The name is only half the story.
- Kartoċċ · wine
- ≈ 1.137 L
- Kartoċċ · oil / milk
- ≈ 1.279 L
Dry capacityTwo interpretations of dry siegħ, shown separately. Bars show volume proportions; choose the variant according to context. Definition & sources ↗
One word. Two values.
- Tomna · dry
- ≈ 18.184 L
- Siegħ · ⅙ tomna
- ≈ 3.0307 L
- Siegħ · ⅒ tomna
- ≈ 1.8184 L
CountingEach circle represents one item. The relationships are exact counts, with no assumed weight or size. Definition & sources ↗
A dozen, one by one.
- Dozen (tużżana)
- = 12 items
- Half dozen (nofs tużżana)
- = 6 items
- Pair (par)
- = 2 items
MoneyDenomination diagram, not coin reproductions. Nominal values; not purchasing power or collector prices. Definition & sources ↗ Denomination diagram, not coin reproductions. Nominal values; not purchasing power or collector prices. Definition & sources ↗ Denomination diagram, not coin reproductions. Nominal values; not purchasing power or collector prices. Definition & sources ↗
Money, by period.
- Maltese lira (Lm)
- 1 lira = 100 cents = 1,000 mils; 1 lira ≈ €2.329373.
- Shilling (xelin)
- 12 pence = 1 shilling; 20 shillings = 1 pound.
- Half crown
- 1 half crown = 2 shillings 6 pence = 30 pence.
- Silver scudo
- 1 scudo = 12 tari = 240 grani = 1,440 piccioli.
- Tari
- 12 tari = 1 scudo; 1 tari = 20 grani.
- Grano · Knights’ era
- 20 grani = 1 tari; 240 grani = 1 scudo.
03EXPLORE
Measures, counts & old money
From the field to the shop, every measure has a story.
EVERYDAY EXPRESSIONS
Half. A third. A quarter of what?
A fraction is part of a whole. You need to know that whole before expressing it as items, grams or litres.
Third 1/3
One of 3 equal parts. One third of 12 items = 4 items.
Definition ↗Quarter 1/4
One of 4 equal parts. One quarter of a kilogram = 250 g.
Definition ↗Nofs ratal
½ ratal ≈ 396.9 g
Convert half a ratal ↗Tliet kwarti
Three quarters of a kilogram = 750 g. Three quarters of a dozen = 9 items. Always specify the whole.
¾ tużżana ↗Careful: the wine terz names a specific historical measure, not simply a third of a litre. Kwart also has distinct historical weight meanings. ¼ ratal ↗ · ¼ uqija ↗
Every coin belongs to a time.
Choose an era. Explore its denominations and convert with the right context.
A CLOSER LOOK
Coins that passed from hand to hand.
Photographs of real coins, with their denomination, period and source. Screen sizes do not represent physical coin sizes.
2 cents · 1976
Both sides of the 2c coin. Its face value is two Maltese lira cents, not euro cents.
Convert face value ↗Photo: Chatsam · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP.
4 liri · 1974
Commemorative coin showing the Cottonera Gate. Its nominal equivalent does not indicate its collector value.
Convert face value ↗Photo: Windrain · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP.
Third farthing · 1868
The denomination side: ONE THIRD FARTHING. A third of a farthing is one twelfth of a penny.
Convert face value ↗Photo: Editor8778 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP.
Grano · 1726
Grano from the period of Manoel de Vilhena, showing a cross and a winged arm holding a sword.
Convert face value ↗Photo: CNG · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP.
30 tari · 1798
Silver coin bearing Ferdinand Hompesch’s name. The source notes that it was probably struck during the French occupation.
Convert face value ↗Photo: CNG · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP.Money · Knights’ era
1 skud = 12 tarìThe Order’s silver-scudo system: 12 tari make a scudo; 20 grani make a tari; 6 piccioli make a grano.
Convert ↗ · History & sources ↗Money · Shillings & pence
£1 = 20 s = 240 dBefore 16 May 1972, Malta used British coins. A pound divided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence: 240 pence per pound.
Convert ↗ · History & sources ↗Money · Lira & euro
€1 = Lm0.429300The Maltese decimal system: 1 lira = 100 cents = 1,000 mils. Decimal coins arrived on 16 May 1972; the euro on 1 January 2008.
Convert ↗ · History & sources ↗Coins, names & value
Remembering the decimal coins
The first 1972 series included 2, 3 and 5 mils, and 1, 2, 5, 10 and 50 cents. The 25c and Lm1 coins came later.
Denomination symbols; not images of the original coins.What did 2/6 mean?
Two shillings and six pence: half a crown, or 30 pence. £1 2s 6d means one pound, two shillings and six pence — not 1.26 pounds.
2/6 → penny ↗Face value and purchasing power
Lm1 gives approximately €2.33 at the official rate. This does not show what an old wage or price could buy today. Inflation needs a year and price index; collectible coins need a separate valuation.
Malta broke the sterling peg in 1972; today’s GBP rate cannot be used for old Maltese money. No universal euro equivalent is supplied for the Knights’ currency.
- Central Bank of Malta — Currency ↗
Decimal coins from 16 May 1972; euro adopted on 1 January 2008.
- ECB — Malta: official euro conversion ↗
Fixed rate: €1 = Lm0.429300. This is not an inflation adjustment.
- Central Bank of Malta — Coinage in Malta ↗
PDF page 10: silver scudo = 12 tari; tari = 20 grani; grano = 6 piccioli.
- Parliament of Malta — Central Bank of Malta (Amendment No 2) Bill ↗
The decimal subdivision: 100 cents per pound, 10 mils per cent.
04THE GLOSSARY
55unitsA word. A measure. A story.
Search the glossary of traditional measurements.
01Land area
5
Land area
Context & sources ↗
Tomna
≈ 1,124 m²A land unit still encountered in agriculture. ARPA uses 1,124 m² for a tumolo. This is rounded; the historical imperial definition gives about 1,124.13 m².
Siegħ
≈ 187.3333 m²Part of a land tomna: here one sixth. The same name is used for dry capacity, where definitions also vary.
Kejla
≈ 18.7333 m²A small land surface measure, represented here as one sixtieth of a tomna. Do not confuse it with the grain or oil measure.
Wejba
≈ 4,496 m²A land measure larger than a tomna. Its value here follows the four-tomna relationship and uses the same rounded basis.
Modd
≈ 17,984 m²A large land measure of 16 tomna. Salma appears in historical tables. The dry modd, despite sharing the name, measures volume.
02Length & distance
5
Length & distance
Context & sources ↗
Qasba
≈ 2.0955 mA length measure encountered in plans and building work. This version uses the later equivalence of 82½ English inches, expressed in modern metres. Bianco also reports a historical 2.088 m factor.
Qasba · 2.088 m
≈ 2.088 mHistorical variant discussed by Bianco when interpreting a 1737 plan. The 2.088 m factor is attributed to Doursther (1840); it should not automatically replace the later variant.
Xiber
≈ 0.2619 mA traditional measure associated with a hand span. Conversion uses a standard fraction of the qasba, not the span of an individual person.
Pulzier
≈ 0.0218 mThe Maltese pulzier is one twelfth of a xiber. Although translated as inch, it is not the imperial inch of 2.54 cm.
Fitel
Awaiting verificationDocumented as half a xiber in the secondary reference. A primary definition has not been sufficiently verified for public conversion.
03Weight
8
Weight
Context & sources ↗
Ratal
≈ 0.7938 kgA commercial weight. The tables divide the rotolo into 30 ounces and give about 793.8 g. This rounded value should not be read as a standard for every period.
Uqija
≈ 0.0265 kgThe Maltese uqija is a fraction of a ratal. The translation ounce can mislead: it is not an English ounce.
Wiżna
≈ 3.969 kgA group of five ratal. The tables use Pesa for five rotoli; this conversion follows that relationship using the rounded ratal basis.
Qantar
≈ 79.38 kgA large weight. The tables give a cantar as 20 pesa, or 100 ratal. It is not the metric quintal of 100 kg.
Kwart · ¼ ratal
≈ 0.1985 kgA quarter of the historical ratal, here about 198.45 g. The secondary reference reports this meaning alongside a quarter of an uqija. It is not a quarter kilogram or the liquid kwarta.
Kwart · ¼ uqija
≈ 0.0066 kgA quarter of a Maltese uqija: here about 6.615 g. The tables divide an Ounce into four quarti. It is much smaller than a quarter of a ratal, so the parent unit must be known.
Half ratal
≈ 0.3969 kgHalf a ratal is a fraction of a specified ratal: about 396.9 g using the rounded historical basis of 793.8 g per ratal. It is not half a kilogram.
Three quarters of a kilogram
= 0.75 kgTliet kwarti means three of four equal parts. In this expression the whole is one kilogram: three quarters of a kilogram is exactly 750 g.
04Liquid volume
12
Liquid volume
Context & sources ↗
Pinta · wine
≈ 0.1421 LA small wine, beer and spirits measure. It is not an imperial pint; about 142.1 mL is used here.
Terz · wine
≈ 0.2841 LThe wine terz is about 284.1 mL. Its literal name does not mean it is always one third of a kartoċċ.
Kartoċċ · wine
≈ 1.137 LA wine, beer and spirits measure of about 1.137 L. The oil or milk kartoċċ has a different value.
Kwarta · wine
≈ 5.398 LA wine measure of about 5.398 L. The oil and milk kwarta uses a different capacity, so the commodity must be identified first.
Kartoċċ · oil / milk
≈ 1.279 LOil and milk variant of about 1.279 L. The commodity must be known before choosing the conversion.
Terz · oil / milk
≈ 0.3196 LThe oil and milk terz is about 319.6 mL, larger than the wine terz. Its commodity-specific name prevents the two measures being confused.
Kwarta · oil / milk
≈ 5.114 LThe oil and milk kwarta is about 5.114 L. It shares the wine measure’s name but has a different value.
Nofs · wine
≈ 0.5683 LThe wine, beer and spirits nofs is a historical measure of about 568.3 mL. Here the word names a particular capacity, not half a litre.
Nofs · oil / milk
≈ 0.6393 LThe oil or milk nofs is about 639.3 mL. It is larger than the wine nofs; identify the commodity when reading a historical recipe or account.
Ġarra · wine
≈ 10.8 LThe ġarra as a wine measure is reported at about 10.8 litres. An everyday jar or vessel does not necessarily have this standardised historical capacity.
Barmil · wine
≈ 43.19 LThe wine barmil is a historical measure of about 43.19 litres. A modern barrel, bucket or container called barmil may have a different volume.
Qafiż · oil / milk
≈ 20.46 LThe oil or milk qafiż is reported at about 20.46 litres. It appears here as a specialised historical measure, not a universal container size.
05Dry capacity
6
Dry capacity
Context & sources ↗
Tomna · dry
≈ 18.184 LA capacity measure for grain and dry goods. An approximation of four imperial gallons is used here. It must not be converted into square metres.
Siegħ · ⅙ tomna
≈ 3.0307 LInterpretation of siegħ as one sixth of a dry tomna, associated with the tables’ mondello. Other references give one tenth.
Siegħ · ⅒ tomna
≈ 1.8184 LAlternative reported in the secondary reference and attributed to Aquilina. Aquilina’s original text has not been directly checked; this variant remains qualified.
Kejla · dry
≈ 0.3031 LA small capacity measure, here one sixtieth of a dry tomna. The land kejla measures surface area and has a separate conversion.
Lumin
≈ 0.0303 LOne of the smaller dry-capacity measures. The lumino appears in the historical tables, with ten to a misura.
Modd · dry
≈ 290.944 LA large dry-goods measure, also known as salma. The same word is used for land, but here the value is a volume.
06Counting
3
Counting
Context & sources ↗
Dozen (tużżana)
= 12 itemsA count of 12 items. For example, a dozen eggs means 12 eggs, regardless of the size or weight of each egg. It is not a weight measurement.
Half dozen (nofs tużżana)
= 6 itemsHalf the count in a dozen: 6 items. This applies the fraction half to a set of twelve; the word nofs on its own does not mean six items.
Pair (par)
= 2 itemsTwo items considered together, such as a pair of shoes. Here a pair always counts two, without assuming any weight or volume for those items.
07Money
16
Money
Context & sources ↗
Lira & euro · from 1972
Maltese lira (Lm)
≈ 2.3294 EURThe Maltese lira was the main decimal currency unit. For its nominal euro equivalent, divide the lira amount by 0.429300 without rounding that rate.
Maltese cent (c)
≈ 0.0233 EURA cent of the lira system, one hundredth of a Maltese lira. It is not a euro cent: the systems have different values despite sharing the name.
Mil
≈ 0.0023 EURA mil was one thousandth of a Maltese lira, or one tenth of a Maltese cent. The first decimal series included coins of 2, 3 and 5 mils.
Shillings & pence · before 1972
Pound · pre-decimal
≈ 1 £ pre-1972A pound in Malta’s pre-decimal money system. It contains 20 shillings or 240 pence; it is not treated here as a modern pound sterling.
Shilling (xelin)
≈ 0.05 £ pre-1972A shilling is one twentieth of a pre-decimal pound and contains 12 pence. The notation 1/- means one shilling; 2/6 means two shillings and six pence.
Penny (sold)
≈ 0.0042 £ pre-1972Sold, in this pre-decimal context, means one penny. The name also has older monetary associations, so this definition is tied to British-period currency.
Halfpenny (nofs sold)
≈ 0.0021 £ pre-1972Half a penny, known as nofs sold or sitt ħabbiet in pre-decimal vocabulary. These names describe its nominal value within that historical period.
Farthing (tliet ħabbiet)
≈ 0.001 £ pre-1972A farthing was a quarter of a penny, called tliet ħabbiet in this vocabulary. It is not a quarter of a Maltese decimal cent or a euro cent.
Ħabba · pre-decimal
≈ 0.0003 £ pre-1972Here ħabba means one twelfth of a penny in Maltese British-period money vocabulary. The word has other historical meanings; it is not used to bridge to the Knights’ grano.
Sixpence
≈ 0.025 £ pre-1972A denomination of six pence, half a shilling in the pre-decimal system. The converter shows its nominal relationship to the penny and pound of that same system.
Florin · two shillings
≈ 0.1 £ pre-1972The florin is a two-shilling denomination, one tenth of a pre-decimal pound. Its value here is the monetary denomination, not its metal content or collector value.
Half crown
≈ 0.125 £ pre-1972A half crown is two shillings and six pence, often written 2/6. This makes 30 pence, or one eighth of a pre-decimal pound.
Knights’ era · 1530–1798
Silver scudo
≈ 1 skud / scudoThe silver scudo in the Order of St John’s monetary system. It is the reference for tari, grani and piccioli here, without a modern euro exchange rate.
Tari
≈ 0.0833 skud / scudoA tari is one twelfth of a silver scudo and divides into 20 grani. The Central Bank describes Order coins bearing this denomination in different metals.
Grano · Knights’ era
≈ 0.0042 skud / scudoA grano is one twentieth of a tari and divides into six piccioli. Here it belongs to the Order’s system, separately from the British-period pre-decimal ħabba.
Picciolo
≈ 0.0007 skud / scudoA picciolo is a small subdivision of the Order’s money: six make a grano. Conversion concerns denominations and gives no metal or market valuation.
No units found. Try another name.
05MEASURED IN HISTORY
Before metres and kilograms
Fields, buildings and trade needed measures that people understood and shared. Maltese documents record different names and systems: understanding them means reading both the number and its context.
LAND & GRAIN
One tomna, two meanings.
Grain was part of Gozo’s provisioning and commerce. Tomna can describe both a surface of land and a volume of grain: these are two different dimensions, even when they share a name.
The Gozo Observer ↗↓
1984
TOWARDS METRIC
Measures change with time.
Metrication was a process. The 1925 tables note metric use in Customs; the 1984 amendment aimed to align the Ordinance with the metric system. A single date cannot explain every change in everyday usage.
06OUR APPROACH
Precision, with perspective.
A calculation can be mathematically precise while its historical equivalence remains approximate. Each variant here carries its context and sources. Displaying more decimal places does not make a rounded value more certain.
✓ Context for every factorSources & method
Factors are qualified historical approximations. The 1,124 m² land tomna is corroborated by institutional sources. Where a primary scan could not be directly inspected, we do not claim full primary verification. Names and variants were cross-checked with Wikipedia; explanations are newly written rather than copied from articles. Counting relationships, such as a dozen containing 12 items, are exact.
View all sources 20 ↗
- Wiktionary — tużżana ↗
Lexical definition of tużżana as a dozen. Explanations here are original.
- Wiktionary — par (Maltese) ↗
The Maltese count noun par: two items together.
- Thomas Stolz — Maltese linguistics presentation, slide 17 ↗
A Maltese example of nofs tużżana translated as half a dozen, PDF p. 17.
- Wiktionary — nofs ↗
Distinguishes the fraction half from historical liquid measures named nofs.
- Wiktionary — terz ↗
Distinguishes one third from the liquid measures named terz.
- Wiktionary — kwart ↗
Kwart as one of four equal parts; the whole being divided must be known.
- Malta Blue Book 1925 — Weights and Measures ↗
The introductory note describes metric use in Customs.
- Unitajiet ta’ kejl Maltin — Wikipedija ↗
Starting point for names and meanings; not a sole authority.
- Malta Blue Book 1935 — Weights and Measures, section 19 ↗
Historical tables in the NSO archive. Digitised text contains errors; values here are qualified approximations.
- ARPA — ANC Guidelines 2023–2027 ↗
The eligibility section uses a tumolo of 1,124 m².
- The Gozo Observer 36 (2017) — A Description of Gozo at the Turn of the Eighteenth Century ↗
Grain and provision trading; footnote 10 gives a tumolo as 1,124 m².
- Lino Bianco — Cartographic representations in early eighteenth century Baroque Malta ↗
Study of a 1737 plan; discusses a 2.088 m cane and relationships between land units.
- Parliament of Malta — Weights and Measures (Amendment) Act V of 1984 ↗
The stated purpose was to align the Ordinance with the metric system.
- ECB — Malta: official euro conversion ↗
Fixed rate: €1 = Lm0.429300. This is not an inflation adjustment.
- Central Bank of Malta — Currency ↗
Decimal coins from 16 May 1972; euro adopted on 1 January 2008.
- Parliament of Malta — Central Bank of Malta (Amendment No 2) Bill ↗
The decimal subdivision: 100 cents per pound, 10 mils per cent.
- Malta Blue Book 1827 — chapter 8 ↗
The sterling table: 12 pence to a shilling and 20 shillings to a pound.
- Central Bank of Malta — Coinage in Malta ↗
PDF page 10: silver scudo = 12 tari; tari = 20 grani; grano = 6 piccioli.
- Kliem u Storja — Flus ta’ żmien l-Ingliżi ↗
Secondary linguistic source for sold, nofs sold and ħabba in the pre-decimal context.
- Maltese units of measurement — liquid tables ↗
Secondary reference for additional liquid variants. Metric factors remain approximate; not direct verification of the 1921 Act.