Whether you’re trying to calibrate a digital scale or you’re just curious about what a certain weight looks or feels like, it can be interesting to compare weights to household items.
There are several different common household items you can use to accurately estimate what 200 grams feel like.
Coins
Coins are usually a standard size and weight, so they’re a great tool for estimating weight or calibrating a small scale.
Both pennies and nickels can be used to get a feel for 200 grams. For example, pennies weigh 2.5 grams each, so if you have 80 pennies piled together, you’re very close to, if not exactly at, 200 grams.
Nickels, on the other hand, way twice as much as pennies, so you would only need to gather 40 nickels, or two rolls of nickels, together to get a very accurate estimate of what 200 grams feels and looks like.
Coin weight may vary slightly if the coins are either dirty, which can add weight, or worn, which can decrease the weight.
Because of this, new coins are often the best choice for calibrating scales.
I also made a list of 12 common household items that weigh 500 grams including more on coins, which you can read here.
A Hamster
In general, adult hamsters weigh about 200 grams, so imagining how it feels to hold a hamster can help you imagine how it feels to hold 200 grams.
The exact weight of a hamster will depend on different factors including the hamster’s age, breed, and gender, and some hamsters will simply weigh a bit more or less than others.
Four Pieces of Silverware
Because it’s available in so many styles and sizes, silverware varies in weight.
However, in general, most tableware that’s made from either silver or steel weighs about 50 grams per piece. This means that holding four pieces of silverware together can give you a relatively accurate estimate of what 200 grams feel like.
Larger silverware pieces, such as large serving spoons or knives, will weigh slightly more than smaller pieces, so take this into account when you’re estimating using this method.
A full-grown adult hamster weighs around 200 grams.
Eight AA Batteries
Most AA batteries, which are commonly used in a number of household items, such as television remote controls, weigh about 24 grams each. This means that eight AA batteries weigh just shy of 200 grams.
These batteries, which can usually be found easily in the home, can help you calibrate a scale with a high amount of accuracy.
A Cup of Sugar
In the United States, most baking or cooking recipes call for amounts in cups or tablespoons, but weight is also often used to measure food items, particularly when baking, and these weights and measurements can sometimes be easily converted.
For example, a cup of sugar weighs almost exactly 200 grams, so this can help both with your baking projects and with estimating how much 200 grams is.
Other food measurements also weigh about 200 grams. Two sticks of butter, for example, weigh just over 200 grams.
A whole cup of uncooked rice also weighs about 200 grams, while 2 cups of almonds weigh about the same amount.
Remember that a cup of something, unless it’s sugar or rice, won’t always weigh 200 grams, as different items weigh more or less.
A cup of flour, for example, weighs significantly less.
A Pomegranate
Baking ingredients aren’t the only food items that can help you imagine what 200 grams feel like.
A single ripe pomegranate weighs about 200 grams, so if you’ve ever held a pomegranate, you can estimate with relative accuracy what 200 grams feels like.
Pomegranates vary in size and shape, which can change their weight, but this is still a good way to guess the weight.
Other fruits and vegetables can also be used to estimate 200 grams.
For example, two medium tomatoes weigh about 200 grams, give or take a few grams.
A whole ripe apple or two whole ripe bananas also weigh about 200 grams.
200 Paper clips
Paper clips are one of the easiest ways to estimate weight or calibrate a scale because they all weigh an exact, standard amount.
A regularly-sized standard paper clip should weigh exactly 1 gram. This means that 200 paper clips together equals exactly 200 grams.
If you include the box for the paper clips, the weight might be slightly over 200 grams, but this is still an excellent way to get a feel for the weight.
Read more about the weight of paperclips and 25 more household items here.
