Solder (fineness)

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Auxiliary unit of measure
Unit name Lot
Unit symbol
Formula symbol
Type quotient
definition
See also: carat

In metallurgy, and especially in coin technology, a lot (previously Loth ) was an old unit of measurement for the relative fineness (grain) to the total weight (shot) until the 19th century . A plumb bob was therefore a measure of the proportion of precious metal in a piece of metal.

For example, in the case of silver, any total weight up to around 1857 was divided into 16 (proportional) solder, according to which a “twelve-flute” silver alloy (750 silver), i.e. 12/16 = ¾ or 75% of the weight silver and 25% other metal (mostly Copper ). A “fourteen solder” silver alloy (14/16), on the other hand, corresponds to silver 875. For refinement, one solder was further divided into 18 grän. 14 Lot 4 Grän fine then corresponds to a fineness of 888.89 ‰ = (14 + 4/18) / 16 = (252 + 4) / 288, i.e. 256/288 Grän.

On January 1, 1888, the German proportion of the lot was finally replaced by the French proportion of per thousand (thousandths) in the German Empire .

See also