Does anyone measure your batch in kilograms?

[tricia819]

:bunny:
In the US, we often measure our batch size in pounds and then oils in either ounces or grams. I was wondering if those of you in other countries (or even here is the US) ever have any use of kilograms in recipes?

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Yes. I live in Norway, we do not use oz or pounds at all in our daily life. We use grams and kilograms, so that is how I measure my oils, or everythings I need to measure, wether I bake or make soap : )

 

[Saranac]

I'm in the US and I measure everything in grams--even when baking--as it's easier to scale formulas up and down.

 

[cobbsie]

Same.....we use grammes and kg in the UK...though there may be some who still use ounces and pounds. I tend to think in grammes for baking these days and was completely thrown by the amounts in a recipe I followed in ounces. I like the fact that the amount is so easy to convert to percentage of oils in a kilo of soap

 

[earlene]

I generally use grams and tenths of grams for my soap making oils and master-batched lye. For making my lye master batch, and for FO's, EO's and EDTA, etc., I generally use 100ths of grams as needed. I don't actually use kg as a measurement, because I don't make batches large enough to use kg.

For calculating percentages of additives, I use the batch size in grams and not pounds, therefore I don't use pounds as batch size measurement at all, except to say, 'okay I have a 3 pound mold here, now I have to convert that into grams.' I have started to write the amount of oils for the batch size that a particular mold will hold onto masking tape using a permanent marker and stick that to the bottom of the mold so when I use it I don't have to re-calculate every time. Then I can easily convert a recipe based on the mold in my lye calculator.

 

[tricia819]

That is a great idea Earline! I might have to steal that one from you!

 

[cmzaha]

I use both grams, and oz. For soap I measure in oz and for lotions I use grams

 

[TeresaT]

No. I call my batch "5 pounds." However, I always use metric for measuring. I like the accuracy of it better than standard. I use SoapMaker software, so it does all the calculations for me.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Grams/kg for me, too. It's far more accurate than oz, for one thing.

But I generally keep my notes as % for everything and then can use that to make any size that I fancy

 

[BattleGnome]

I'm starting to convert myself to grams from ounces. It's a rough transition but I hope I'll be more accurate in the long run.

 

[fuzz-juzz]

I'm in Australia.
We have metric system.
My standard batch is 1kg.

 

[gloopygloop]

Metric for me as I am in the UK.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

I'm metric, except that I'll still add lactate, citrate, sugar and salt in teaspoons. But that's only because I previously weighed each of those things and calculated how many I needed to reach the percent I wanted for my mold. They're just easier to dispense with a teaspoon measure and a little imprecision isn't a big deal with these additives, IMO. But if I changed mold sizes, I'd need to do that calc again - in metric.

 

[Dahila]

I do exactly like Brewing George. Sugar and SL in tsp, but EDTA is weight .I use grams, (metric system) the easiest when you make lotons or creams, so everything what I make is in grams (1000 g is 1 Kg) For me ounces and pounds are very difficult , was born and raised in metric system
Yard confuses a hell out of me, I know it is 91 cm but how to get 140 cm of this

I am so happy that all of you almost all of you use Grams, I do not call my 1400 g batch 1 kg and 400 g it is always 1400 g , I also use SM3 software where I have no problem to convert oz to grams

 

[gloopygloop]

I am a shocker as I have to weigh everything down to the last gram, then for less I use my jewellery scale for the 00.1 of a gram, do you think its a disease LOL!

 

[bumbleklutz]

I'm metric, except that I'll still add lactate, citrate, sugar and salt in teaspoons. But that's only because I previously weighed each of those things and calculated how many I needed to reach the percent I wanted for my mold. They're just easier to dispense with a teaspoon measure and a little imprecision isn't a big deal with these additives, IMO. But if I changed mold sizes, I'd need to do that calc again - in metric.

I do the same. My scale only weighs to the nearest gram, or nearest tenth of an ounce; so grams are far more accurate for me. It's also easier to scale a recipe up or down in percentages using grams than it is in ounces for me. I too still use teaspoons and tablespoons for certain things such as sugar or sodium lactate simply because back when I learned to use those items they were always listed as x tsp. or x tbs. per pound of oil. I know the molds I use the most often hold 540 grams of oil which is a little shy of one and a quarter pounds of oil. So it's easier for me to add those items by the tsp. or tbs. As BrewerGeorge said a little imprecision with those items isn't a big deal.

 

[Gabriel_Gago]

In Brazil we use the metric system, so, yes, i do measure in grams. =P

 

[Kittish]

For making soap, I started off using grams and I'm going to stick with it. Just more accurate to use the smallest unit available (i.e. the smallest unit your scale can reliably measure), and the metric system is sensible and intuitive.

Baking is another matter. I keep seeing that I really should be using weights for baking, but I learned how to cook using imperial volume measurements (cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, etc).

 

[Saponificarian]

We use metric system here too. I had to learn ounces and pounds though when I started buying B&B ingredients from the US. The first time I bought 1 gallon of oil and it's 3.785 liters, I had to buy 1 pound extra to top it up to 4 litres because it has to be a round litre figure for me. OCD, I know. :headbanging:

 

[user 20684]

Metric measures in NZ, too, though I'm old enough to remember imperial measures. I use juice/milk cartons for my test moulds, and they hold 1 kg of soap batter.