What does hectogram mean?
A hectogram is a metric unit of mass equal to 100 grams, or 0.1 kilogram. It occupies a middle position in the metric scale: ten hectograms make a kilogram, and one hectogram is equivalent to ten dekagrams. The word is most useful in technical, commercial, and scientific contexts, where a hectogram may provide a convenient intermediate quantity for ingredients, samples, or measured goods. It is also used in product specifications and recipes, although gram and kilogram are far more familiar in ordinary English. Unlike ounce or pound, hectogram is not a traditional unit of everyday British or American life, so its appearance often signals metric measurement. Knowing it is nevertheless useful when reading nutrition labels, product specifications, recipes, and scientific material. The standard plural is hectograms, and the variant spelling hectogramme is chiefly associated with British usage.
nounA metric unit of mass equal to 100 grams, or 0.1 kilogram.
- A unit of mass in the metric system equal to 100 grams, 0.1 kilogram, or 10 dekagrams.
"The recipe calls for 250 grams, or two and a half hectograms."
"The recipe calls for 250 grams, or two and a half hectograms."
"The parcel weighed 12 hectograms."
The standard plural adds -s. The chiefly British variant hectogramme has the plural hectogrammes.
"The shop sells the nuts in parcels of 500 hectograms."
A hectogram is a metric middleman: 100 grams, or exactly one-tenth of a kilogram.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hectogram come from?
The word was formed in English through French hectogramme, combining Greek hekatos, meaning “hundred,” with gram, the metric unit derived from Greek gramma, meaning “a small weight.” The Greek-derived combining form hecto- was already established in metric nomenclature, producing parallel forms such as hectare, hectometer, and hectoliter. These words share the same numerical root, while the -gram element in hectogram specifically denotes mass.
Related word forms
How hectogram is actually used
This is a formal and technical metric unit, used especially in scientific, commercial, and product-measurement contexts. It is uncommon in everyday speech. The SI symbol is hg.
Easily confused with hectogram
A hectogram measures mass, whereas a hectometer measures length and equals 100 meters.