At just over 1 pound, 500 grams is a standard unit of measurement and comparison across the globe.
Learning about a few common items that weigh either close to or exactly 500 grams can help you easily and accurately estimate the weight.
Here are 12 common household items that weigh around 500 grams.
- Chinchilla
- Loaf of bread
- Package of beef
- Bottle of salad dressing
- Two skeins of yarn
- Ten medium eggs
- One hundred nickels
- Soccer ball
- Package of butter
- Hardcover book
- Four bananas
- Women’s shoe
1. A Chinchilla
A popular pet, chinchillas are known to be friendly and soft. Most chinchillas weigh right around or just over 1 pound, which means they weigh just about 500 grams.
Each chinchilla will weigh slightly more or less, of course, depending on what their diet is and what age they are.
Other common pets also weigh about 500 grams. For example, a single hamster usually weighs about 250 grams, depending on age, breed, diet, and whether the hamster is male or female. Female hamsters usually weigh slightly more than males.
Two hamsters are about 500 grams.
Kittens that are about one month old also weigh about 500 grams, give or take a few grams. Imagining holding any of these fuzzy animals can help you estimate what 500 grams feels like.
2. A Loaf of Bread
Most loaves of bread weigh about 500 grams. Bread weight varies, of course, depending on the type of bread and what it’s made of.
Light bread with lots of air pockets will weigh less, while denser bread or breads that have other ingredients, such as nuts, cheese, or fruit pieces inside them, will weigh slightly more.
Small or airy bread, such as French baguettes, will weigh slightly less.
3. A Package of Beef
Meats such as beef are often sold by the pound or by the gram. Many beef cuts, including hamburger or ground beef, are sold in packages that contain either right around or just over 1 pound.
This means that the average package of beef, particularly if you include the package and wrapping, weighs about 500 grams.
4. A Bottle of Salad Dressing
Most salad dressings are sold in 16-ounce sizes. Sixteen fluid ounces equals 1 pound. This means that, if we include the weight of the bottle, a standard bottle of salad dressing weighs right around or just less than 500 grams.
Imagining how a bottle of dressing feels in your hand is a great way to estimate what a weight of 500 grams feels like.
The bottle of salad dressing below weighs 18.25 ounces or 517.38 grams.
5. Two Skeins of Yarn
Yarn is sold in many types of packaging and sizes, but it’s most commonly sold by weight. Almost all yarn skeins have their weight printed on the label.
This helps crafters ensure that they have enough yarn for whatever project they’re working on.
A large skein of yarn generally weighs right around 250 grams, depending on how thick the yarn is and what material it’s made out of.
This means that two large skeins of yarn weigh about 500 grams.
Exactly how much the skein weighs depends on the density of the yarn, the exact size of the skein, and the size and material of the label.
However, holding two skeins of yarn can help you easily and accurately estimate how much 500 grams really is.
6. 10 Medium Eggs
Eggs come in many different sizes depending on how the chickens are raised and fed and what breed they are. However, medium-sized eggs usually weigh just a tiny bit less than 50 grams.
That means that 10 medium eggs weigh about 500 grams. Of course, there may be some fluctuation in the exact weight of each egg, but even with these discrepancies, weighing 10 medium eggs should bring you close to the goal weight.
7. 100 Nickels
Using coins is perhaps the most accurate way to measure or estimate weight since coins must be an exact weight when they’re minted.
Nickels, for example, each weigh exactly 5 grams. This means that 100 nickels piled or held together will weigh exactly 500 grams. Wear on older nickels may make them weigh slightly less, but the number should still be very close to 500 grams.
Other coins can also help you estimate weight. For example, a single penny should weigh exactly 2.5 grams, so 200 pennies is also equal to 500 grams in weight. Dimes weigh slightly less than pennies, at 2.26 grams, so using them as an estimate isn’t as accurate, but 220 dimes are very close to 500 grams.
8. A Soccer Ball
Soccer balls are available in a number of materials, sizes, and, therefore, weights, but regulation soccer balls must all be a specific size and should be filled to within a specific pressure range.
These soccer balls must all have a circumference of either 27 or 28 inches. The balls must also be filled with air until they reach a pressure between 12 and 13 pounds.
This means that all regulation soccer balls weigh between 14 and 18 ounces. An average regulation soccer ball, therefore, weighs about 1 pound, or about 500 grams.
9. One Package of Butter
In the US, a stick of butter generally weighs one-quarter of a pound, and most packages of butter come with four sticks.
This means that four sticks of butter, by themselves, weigh 1 pound, or just less than 500 grams. If you add in the wrapping for each stick, as well as the weight of the package itself, you can come very close, if not exactly, to 500 grams.
10. A Hardcover Book
How much a book weighs depends on the materials it’s made of, the number of pages, as well as the book’s length and width. But on average, most hardcover books weigh about 500 grams. These books usually have about 400 pages.
Books with more or fewer pages or books that are longer or wider in shape may weigh slightly more or less than 500 grams.
Paperback books that have a high page count may also weigh close to 500 grams, even though they don’t have a hard cover.
If the book has closer to 700 pages, however, it can weigh nearly two pounds, or twice as much as 500 grams.
11. Four Bananas
A medium banana, measuring between 7 and 8 inches long, weighs about 120 grams. This means that a bunch of four bananas weighs right around 500 grams.
The exact weight of each banana depends on a number of factors, such as exact width and length and how ripe the fruit is, so there may be some fluctuations in the weight of a group of four.
However, picturing a small bunch of bananas can help you accurately estimate what 500 grams looks and feels like.
12. One Women’s Shoe
The exact weight of shoes varies depending on the material of the shoe, the shoe size, and the shoe’s design.
However, in general, a pair of women’s shoes weighs just over two pounds.
This means that one women’s shoe weighs right around 500 grams.
Some larger children’s shoes or smaller men’s shoes will also weigh around 500 grams, but when estimating, a women’s shoe is often the most accurate way to get a feel for the weight.