Tub (unit) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tub was a unit of capacity or of weight used in Britain and elsewhere. Definition British laws for the sale of goods defined a tub of butter as a receptacle of a size which could contain 84 pounds of butter.[1][2] 1 tub of butter or cheese = 84 pounds[1][2] Conversion 1 tub = 1.5 Firkin (1 Firkin = 56 lbs)[1][2] Metric equivalent 1 tub = 38 kg Other commodities The Oxford English Dictionary has quotations illustrating other values of a "tub" as a unit:[3] Tea (1706): "about 60 pounds" "Camphire" (1706): "from 56 to 86 pounds" Vermilion (1706): "3 to 4 hundred weight" (i.e. 336-448 pounds) Camphor (1858): "130 Dutch lbs" In Newfoundland, Canada, a tub of coal was defined as 100 pounds, while a tub of herrings was 16 Imperial gallons and a tub of salt was 18 Imperial gallons.[4] References 1 2 3 Robinson, William (1825). The Magistrate's Pocket-book, Or, An Epitome of the Duties and Practice of a Justice of the Peace. C. Hunter. p. 50. Retrieved 9 April 2015. 1 2 3 Crabb, George (1841). A Digest and Index with Chronological Tables of All the Statutes: From Magna Charta to the End of this Last. A. Maxwell & son. p. 231. Retrieved 9 April 2015. ↑ "Tub, n1, 1, d". Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved 9 April 2015. ↑ Rowlett, Russ. "How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement". Retrieved 9 April 2015. Related Articles~TimelinesTop QsFact Checks