Gross (unit)

In English and related languages, several terms involving the words "great" or "gross" relate to numbers involving a multiple of exponents of <a href="/facts/12_(number)/j8162cvV">twelve</a> (<a href="/facts/Dozen/CAzsA8F7">dozen</a>):

<ul><li>A gross refers to a group of <a href="/facts/144_(number)/aMCAFG9H">144</a> items (a dozen dozen or a square dozen, 122).</li>
<li>A great gross refers to a group of <a href="/facts/1728_(number)/cVJvT3ab">1,728</a> items (a dozen gross or a cubic dozen, 123).</li>
<li>A small gross or a great hundred refers to a group of <a href="/facts/120_(number)/Q6ceL3CM">120</a> items (ten dozen, 10×12).</li></ul>
The term can be abbreviated gr. or gro., and dates from the early 15th century. It derives from the Old French grosse douzaine, meaning "large dozen”. The continued use of these terms in measurement and counting represents the <a href="/facts/Duodecimal/luba13sN">duodecimal</a> number system. This has led groups such as the <a href="/facts/Dozenal_Society_of_America/luba13sN">Dozenal Society of America</a> to advocate for wider use of "gross" and related terms instead of the <a href="/facts/Decimal/7omfVNIM">decimal</a> system.

Gross (unit) open-in-new

Gross (unit)