Klafter Explained

The klafter is an historical unit of length, volume and area that was used in Central Europe.

Unit of length

As a unit of length, the klafter was derived from the span of a man's outstretched arms and was traditionally about 1.80 metres (m). In Austria, its length was, for example, 1.8965 m, in Prussia . In Bavaria, however, a klafter was only, in Hesse it was significantly larger at . The Viennese or Lower Austrian klafter was fixed by Rudolf II as a measure of length as of 19 August 1588.[1] When, in 1835, the Swiss units were defined using the metric system, 1 Swiss klafter (of 6 Swiss feet each of) corresponded exactly to .

In Aachen, Baden, Bavaria, Bohemia, Hamburg, Leipzig, Poland, Trier and Zürich the klafter was exactly six feet, but in the Canton of Fribourg it measured 10 feet.[2]

In nautical units of depth, the klafter corresponds to the fathom.

Baseline

The survey of Austria-Hungary began in 1762 with the construction of the Vienna Neustadt Baseline (Wiener Neustädter Grundlinie) which was, later, klafters long, represented by 5 measuring rods of 1 klafter in length made of varnished wood.

Unit of volume

The old unit of dry volume for split firewood, or Scheitholz, was based on this unit of length. A klafter of wood corresponded to a stack of wood with a length and height of one klafter; the depth of this pile corresponded to the length of the log but, as a rule was 3 feet long, that is 0.5 klafters. The volume of a pile of logs was therefore only 0.5 cubic klafters. This in turn corresponded, depending on the area, to 3 to 4 steres or approximately 2 to 3 m3 of wood. The old Prussian klafter corresponded to ; in Austria, a klafter was equivalent to .[3] By comparison the North American cord, used to measure firewood and pulpwood, is slightly larger at 3.62 m3.[4]

In Switzerland, Werdenfelser Land and parts of Lower Franconia, a klafter of logs corresponds to (steres) of stacked firewood since the introduction of the metric system. Usually the logs are long. One klafter of firewood is thus equivalent to about .

Hay was also sometimes measured in klafters in the 19th century.[5]

The cubic klafter was not standardised as the length of a foot varied depending on the region. The cubic klafter used for wood could also differ. Here is an example of the Austrian units.[6]

The cubic foot generally had cubic inches, each with cubic lines, each with cubic points.

The Rahmklafter,[7] as the unit of timber measurement was called in Austria, was defined for long and short firewood as follows:

Two klafters were counted for one Stoß or livestock unit.

Unit of area

In Austria, 1 yoke (Joch, with which the size of fields was measured) comprised 1,600 square klafters with sides measuring 8 by 200 klafters, thus about 5,754 m2 and 0.575 ha, respectively. 1 square klafter (Viennese) was equivalent to square metres.[8]

In Croatia, the square klafter was used as unit of area and equalled 3.596652 m2. It is sometimes still used today.[9]

In the Swiss Chur Rhine Valley and the Prättigau, the meadowland was measured in klafters.[5]

In the adjoining Principality of Liechtenstein, the square klafter is still used today for the measurement of land areas. 1 m2 equals 0.27804 square klafters, 1 square klafter equals 3.59665 m2. The klafter as a unit of length was consequently about 1.8965 metres long.

In Darmstadt, 1 square klafter = 100 square feet = square inches = 6.25 square metres.[10]

Similar units in other countries

Conversion table of 1838[11]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Joseph Jäckel: Zimmentirungslexikon für alle Handels- und Geschwerbsleute nach den österreichischen Zimmentirungsschriften. Anton Strauß, Vienna, 1824, p. 108.
  2. Johann Friedrich Krüger: Vollständiges Handbuch der Münzen, Maße und Gewichte aller Länder der Erde. Verlag Gottfried Basse, Quedlinburg/Leipzig, 1830, pp. 138, 219.
  3. Peters: Rechne, schreibe, rechne richtig! Fully revised edition. Buchgemeinschaft Donauland, Vienna, 1964, p. 456.
  4. Web site: British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Range . Glossary of Forestry Terms in British Columbia . 2008-09-04 .
  5. 'Swiss Idiotikon' Vol. III, Col. 633, article Chlāfter.
  6. Benjamin Scholz, Joseph Franz Jacquin: Anfangsgründe der Physik als Vorbereitung zum Studium der Chemie. Camesina Buchhandlung, Vienna, 1816, p. 133.
  7. Illustrierter Bürger-Calender für alle Kronländer der österreichischen Monarchie. 1852, Anton Schweiger, Vienna, 1852, p. 147.
  8. Johann Conrad Gernrath: Abhandlung der Bauwissenschaften oder Theoretisch-praktischer Unterricht in der gemeinen bürgerlichen Baukunst, in dem Strassenbau (etc.). J. Gastl, Brünn, 1825, p. 573.
  9. Web site: Subtitle: What is klafter?. 2 November 2020. Herman. Ivan Goran. Regionalni dnevnik Varaždin.
  10. Christian Noback, Friedrich Eduard Noback: Vollständiges Taschenbuch der Münz-, Maass- und Gewichtsverhältnisse, der Staatspapiere, des Wechsel- und Bankwesens und der Usancen aller Länder und Handelsplätze. Vol. 1, FA Brockhaus, Leipzig, 1851, pp. 215, 463.
  11. Gesellschaft Gelehrter und praktischer Kaufleute: Allgemeine Enzyklopädie für Kaufleute und Fabrikanten so wie für Geschäftsleute überhaupt: oder, Vollständiges Wörterbuch. Verlag Otto Wigand, Leipzig, 1838.

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