Fjerding (historical Norwegian grain measure)

Fjerding essentially means a quarter. As a historical Norwegian grain measure, it denotes a quarter of a grain barrel, equivalent to two skjepper. In the Norwegian system commonly reproduced in historical grain-measure tables, this is about 34.7 litres. Establish commodity, place and period before converting an old record.

Fjerding and fjerdingkar differ

A fjerdingkar is a quarter of a skjeppe, about 4.34 litres in the same system. It is therefore substantially smaller than a fjerding of two skjepper. Both the Follo History and Museum Association's yearbook and Store norske leksikon explicitly distinguish the terms. Interpreting a fjerdingkar as a vessel of roughly 35 litres creates a major error.

Fjerding has also been used in other contexts, including weight and divisions of an old Norwegian mile. The grain measure's litre equivalent must therefore not be applied to every occurrence of the word. Nor should a grain barrel and a barrel for liquids automatically be treated as the same measure.

Assessing old measuring vessels

Photograph inscriptions, any verification marks, construction and wear. Record dimensions and known origin in an object inventory. Appearance or a later family description alone does not establish the original measure represented by a vessel. Avoid tests that could damage old surfaces or joints; document first.

Browse OBA's household and utility objects for available historical tools. To offer a measuring vessel for sale, submit photographs of the whole object and its marks through buying and selling.