The tola, the gram and the troy ounce

Every gold price in Pakistan is quoted by the tola, but a tola is not a round number of grams. It is 11.6638 grams, and that odd figure is three-eighths of a troy ounce, the unit the world gold market uses. This page explains where the tola comes from, how it relates to the gram and the troy ounce, and why jewellers, banks and the sarafa still quote by it.

What a tola is

A tola is a traditional South Asian unit of weight that is still used for gold in Pakistan. It is defined as 11.6638 grams, which is three-eighths of a troy ounce. The troy ounce is the unit the world gold market uses, and a tola is lighter than a troy ounce but heavier than ten grams.

The tola's weight is fixed by law in Pakistan, so a tola in Karachi is the same as a tola in Lahore. A buyer who is quoted a tola price can convert it to a gram price by dividing by 11.6638, and a gram price can be converted to a tola price by multiplying.

Why the tola is not a round number of grams

The tola is not a round number of grams because it was not defined in the metric system. It comes from the weight of a silver rupee coin in the Mughal era, and it was later standardised to 11.6638 grams. The troy ounce, which is used for gold internationally, is 31.1035 grams, and a tola is exactly three-eighths of that.

The odd number is a historical accident, but it is now fixed by law. A buyer who wants to compare a tola price to a gram price must use the exact figure, because rounding it changes the price. A tola is not 11.66 grams or 11.7 grams; it is 11.6638 grams.

How the tola relates to ten grams and the troy ounce

Ten grams is a convenient metric amount, but it is not a traditional unit for gold in Pakistan. A tola is heavier than ten grams by about one and a half grams, so a ten-gram price is lower than a tola price. The troy ounce is the world unit, and a tola is three-eighths of it, so a tola price is lower than a troy ounce price.

A buyer who is looking at a piece weighed in grams can convert the tola price to a gram price by dividing by 11.6638. A buyer who is comparing the Karachi rate to the world price must convert the world price from troy ounces to tolas, because the two units are different.

Why jewellers, banks and the sarafa still quote by the tola

The tola is the traditional unit for gold in Pakistan, and it is what the Karachi Saraf Jewellers Association fixes. A jeweller who quotes a gram price is usually converting from the tola price, because the market standard is the tola. Banks that sell gold also quote by the tola, because that is what their customers expect.

The tola persists because it is embedded in the market's habits and in the law. A buyer who wants to compare prices across shops must ask for the tola rate, because a gram rate may be derived from a different tola rate. The tola is the common denominator.

The older units a buyer may still hear

A buyer may still hear the words masha and ratti from older jewellers or in rural areas. These are older subdivisions of the tola, and they are not used in official prices. A masha is a fraction of a tola, and a ratti is a fraction of a masha, but their exact weights are not needed to understand a tola price.

A buyer who hears these terms should ask for the price in tolas or grams, because the official rate is in tolas. The older units are a reminder that the tola itself is a traditional unit, and that the metric system is a recent overlay.

What a buyer should do with the tola weight

A buyer who is weighing a piece should check that the scale is calibrated and that the weight is given in grams or tolas. The tola weight is fixed by law, so a scale that shows a different weight for a tola is wrong. A buyer who is quoted a tola price should ask for the weight in grams to check the conversion.

The tola is not a secret unit; it is a fixed weight. A buyer who knows that a tola is 11.6638 grams can check any price, and can catch a jeweller who uses a heavier tola to quote a lower price per tola but a higher price per gram.