Tola, Masha and Ratti to Grams: Jeweller's Weight Table
One tola is 11.6638 grams. Convert tola, masha and ratti to grams and back, read a Pakistani jeweller's receipt, and see why 10 tola bars weigh 116.64 g.
By Awais, Founder and editor-in-chiefPublished
One tola is 11.6638 grams. A tola has 12 masha, and a masha has 8 ratti, so a tola is 96 ratti. Gold in Pakistan, India, Nepal and the Gulf is still weighed and priced this way, even though the official unit everywhere is now the gram.
For a single quick conversion, use the tola to grams converter. This guide explains where the numbers come from, how to read a jeweller’s “2-4-3” weight, and the mistakes that cost buyers money.
Where 11.6638 grams comes from
The tola was fixed by law in British India in 1833 as 180 grains, the weight of the silver rupee coin of the time. The grain is defined internationally as exactly 64.79891 milligrams, so:
180 × 64.79891 mg = 11,663.8038 mg = 11.6638038 g
That makes a tola exactly 3/8 of a troy ounce (a troy ounce is 480 grains, or 31.1034768 g). This link is handy, because international gold prices are quoted per troy ounce.
You will see the tola rounded to 11.66 g or even 11.7 g. On a 10 tola purchase, rounding to 11.7 g instead of 11.6638 g changes the weight by 0.36 g. At a gold price of Rs 35,000 a gram, that’s over Rs 12,000. Always ask which figure a shop uses.
The tola, masha and ratti system
| Unit | In smaller units | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| 1 tola | 12 masha = 96 ratti | 11.6638 |
| 1 masha | 8 ratti | 0.9720 |
| 1 ratti | — | 0.1215 |
Jewellers often write a weight as three numbers: tola - masha - ratti. So “2-4-3” means 2 tola, 4 masha and 3 ratti.
Converting “2-4-3” to grams
- Tola: 2 × 11.6638 = 23.3276 g
- Masha: 4 × 0.9720 = 3.8880 g
- Ratti: 3 × 0.1215 = 0.3645 g
- Total: 27.58 g
Or count everything in ratti first: 2 × 96 + 4 × 8 + 3 = 227 ratti, and 227 × 0.12150 = 27.58 g.
Converting grams back to tola-masha-ratti
Say a bracelet weighs 30 g.
- 30 ÷ 11.6638 = 2.572 tola, so 2 tola, with 30 − 23.3276 = 6.6724 g left.
- 6.6724 ÷ 0.9720 = 6.86 masha, so 6 masha, with 6.6724 − 5.832 = 0.8404 g left.
- 0.8404 ÷ 0.1215 = 6.9 ratti.
The bracelet weighs about 2 tola, 6 masha, 7 ratti. The weight converter handles tola and grams in either direction, and the gold price calculator splits any weight into tola, masha and ratti.
Quick reference tables
Tola to grams
| Tola | Grams |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | 5.83 |
| 1 | 11.66 |
| 2 | 23.33 |
| 5 | 58.32 |
| 7.5 | 87.48 |
| 10 | 116.64 |
| 20 | 233.28 |
| 52.5 | 612.35 |
Grams to tola
| Grams | Tola |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.0857 |
| 5 | 0.4287 |
| 10 | 0.8574 |
| 20 | 1.7147 |
| 50 | 4.2868 |
| 100 | 8.5735 |
Two numbers in the first table matter for zakat: 7.5 tola (87.48 g) is the nisab for gold, and 52.5 tola (612.35 g, usually quoted as 612.36 g) is the nisab for silver. Our guide to zakat on gold shows how they are used.
Why “10 tola” bars are 116.64 g
In Gulf gold souks and Pakistani markets, the standard investment bar is the TT bar (ten tola bar). It weighs 116.64 g, which is 10 × 11.6638 g, or exactly 3.75 troy ounces. If someone offers you a “10 tola” bar that weighs 116 g or 117 g, the weight is wrong.
Gold prices per tola, per gram and per ounce
Prices are quoted in different units depending on where you are:
- Pakistan: per tola and per 10 grams, for 24K and 22K.
- India: per 10 grams.
- UAE and Saudi Arabia: per gram, by karat (24K, 22K, 21K, 18K).
- International markets: per troy ounce, in US dollars.
To switch between them:
Price per tola = price per troy ounce × 0.375
Example: if 24K gold is $4,000 per troy ounce, a tola of 24K gold is worth $4,000 × 0.375 = $1,500 before any local premium, taxes or exchange-rate costs. Local prices in Pakistan are often higher than this simple conversion because of import duties and supply.
Checking a jeweller’s bill
A typical Pakistani gold bill lists:
- Gross weight in tola-masha-ratti or grams.
- Deductions for stones, beads or wax (“kaat” or “polish”), which are not gold.
- Net weight of gold.
- Rate per tola for the karat.
- Making charges (labour), either per tola, per gram or as a percentage.
Check the arithmetic: net weight in tola × rate per tola should equal the gold value on the bill. A wrong conversion between grams and tola is one of the easiest mistakes to miss. The gold price calculator rebuilds a bill from the weight, karat, rate and making charge, so you can compare it line by line.
Other old units you may meet
- Seer: 80 tola, about 933 g. Used in older recipes and grain markets.
- Maund (man): 40 seer, about 37.32 kg. Still heard in crop prices.
- Grain: 1/180 of a tola, about 0.0648 g. Used for ammunition and medicines in the US.
FAQ
How many grams is 1 tola of gold?
11.6638 grams. Some shops round it to 11.66 g, which is close enough for small pieces. For large purchases, ask for the exact figure.
How many masha are in a tola?
12 masha make one tola, and 8 ratti make one masha. So one tola is 96 ratti.
How many tola is 10 grams?
10 grams is 0.8574 tola, or about 10 masha and 2.3 ratti.
Is a tola the same in India and Pakistan?
Yes. Both inherited the same 180-grain tola from British India. India officially moved to grams in the 1950s and 1960s, but jewellers in both countries still use the tola.