A UK gill is 142ml (5 UK fluid ounces), which is a quarter of a UK pint. A US gill is smaller at 118ml (4 US fluid ounces). Gills appear frequently in Victorian and Edwardian recipes, and are still used in some traditional British recipes for custards and sauces.

A peck is a dry volume measure equal to about 9.09 litres (8 dry quarts). It is used for measuring fruit and vegetables in old recipes — "a peck of apples" means roughly 9 litres by volume. A bushel is 4 pecks.

A fluid dram is about 3.7ml — roughly three-quarters of a teaspoon. It appears in old pharmacology and some very old recipes, particularly for spice quantities. Do not confuse it with the weight dram (1.77g).

What is a wineglass measure?

In old recipes, a "wineglass" typically means about 70ml (2.5 UK fluid ounces). This was a common informal measure in 18th and 19th century cookbooks. It is roughly half a gill or one-quarter of a teacup.

What is a dessertspoon?

A dessertspoon is 10ml — larger than a teaspoon (5ml) but smaller than a tablespoon (15ml). It is still commonly used in the UK and Australia as a measuring unit and is exactly 2 teaspoons.

How do I know which gill a recipe means?

If the recipe is British, it almost certainly means the UK gill (142ml). If it is American, it means the US gill (118ml). The difference is significant — a UK gill is about 20% larger than a US gill.

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Old Recipes Measurement Converter

Convert old-fashioned measurements like gills, pecks, drams, and wineglasses to modern units.

Old Measurement

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How We Calculate This

This converter translates obsolete and archaic cooking measurements into their modern metric equivalents. Select the old measurement type, enter the quantity, and get the result in millilitres, tablespoons, cups, and fluid ounces.

Old Measurements Reference

Gill (UK): 142ml (5 UK fl oz, 1/4 pint)
Gill (US): 118ml (4 US fl oz)
Peck: 9,092ml (~9.09 litres)
Bushel: 36,369ml (~36.37 litres, 4 pecks)
Dram (fluid): 3.7ml
Wineglass: ~70ml (2.5 UK fl oz)
Teacup: ~142ml (1 UK gill)
Breakfast cup: ~284ml (1/2 UK pint)
Saltspoon: ~1.25ml (1/4 teaspoon)
Dessertspoon: 10ml (2 teaspoons)
Coffee spoon: ~2.5ml (1/2 teaspoon)

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Last updated: February 2026

All calculations are based on standard ratios and conversions. Results may vary with specific ingredients, equipment, and conditions.