The Great Gross is a fascinating old-world unit of measure that might surprise many with its sheer scale. Representing 12 Gross (or 144 dozens), a Great Gross equals a whopping 1,728 individual items! Used historically in wholesale trade, especially during the medieval and early modern periods in Europe, this unit provided efficiency in large-scale commerce, allowing for easy calculation and transaction in bulk goods like candles, eggs, or textiles.
While not commonly used in modern trade, the Great Gross underscores historical trade practices and quantification in a world before digital analytics. Imagine being a merchant in a bustling market, selling your goods in Great Grosses—an image that conjures the vibrant rhythms of bygone eras and highlights the evolution of our measurement systems over time.
The “dozen dozen,” also known as a gross, is a fascinating unit of quantity that equals 144 items. This term comes from the French word “gros,” emphasizing its historical roots in trade and commerce. In a time when transactions relied heavily on simplicity, the gross provided an efficient means of bulk counting, especially in trading markets for items like eggs and screws.
Interestingly, the gross has persisted through centuries and still finds relevance today in certain industries and mathematics where large countable units simplify operations. Historically, it was also part of the duodecimal (base-12) counting system, which merchants found easier for divisions into halves, thirds, and quarters compared to our base-10 system. This unique unit highlights the historical significance of non-decimal counting methods that shaped modern commerce.
| Great Gross | Dozen Dozen |
|---|---|
0
gr-gr
|
0
doz-doz
|
0.5
gr-gr
|
6
doz-doz
|
1
gr-gr
|
12
doz-doz
|
1.5
gr-gr
|
18
doz-doz
|
2
gr-gr
|
24
doz-doz
|
2.5
gr-gr
|
30
doz-doz
|
3
gr-gr
|
36
doz-doz
|
3.5
gr-gr
|
42
doz-doz
|
4
gr-gr
|
48
doz-doz
|
4.5
gr-gr
|
54
doz-doz
|
5
gr-gr
|
60
doz-doz
|
5.5
gr-gr
|
66
doz-doz
|
6
gr-gr
|
72
doz-doz
|
6.5
gr-gr
|
78
doz-doz
|
7
gr-gr
|
84
doz-doz
|
7.5
gr-gr
|
90
doz-doz
|
8
gr-gr
|
96
doz-doz
|
8.5
gr-gr
|
102
doz-doz
|
9
gr-gr
|
108
doz-doz
|
9.5
gr-gr
|
114
doz-doz
|
10
gr-gr
|
120
doz-doz
|
10.5
gr-gr
|
126
doz-doz
|
11
gr-gr
|
132
doz-doz
|
11.5
gr-gr
|
138
doz-doz
|
12
gr-gr
|
144
doz-doz
|
12.5
gr-gr
|
150
doz-doz
|
13
gr-gr
|
156
doz-doz
|
13.5
gr-gr
|
162
doz-doz
|
14
gr-gr
|
168
doz-doz
|
14.5
gr-gr
|
174
doz-doz
|
15
gr-gr
|
180
doz-doz
|
15.5
gr-gr
|
186
doz-doz
|
16
gr-gr
|
192
doz-doz
|
16.5
gr-gr
|
198
doz-doz
|
17
gr-gr
|
204
doz-doz
|
17.5
gr-gr
|
210
doz-doz
|
18
gr-gr
|
216
doz-doz
|
18.5
gr-gr
|
222
doz-doz
|
19
gr-gr
|
228
doz-doz
|
19.5
gr-gr
|
234
doz-doz
|
20
gr-gr
|
240
doz-doz
|
20.5
gr-gr
|
246
doz-doz
|
21
gr-gr
|
252
doz-doz
|
21.5
gr-gr
|
258
doz-doz
|
22
gr-gr
|
264
doz-doz
|
22.5
gr-gr
|
270
doz-doz
|
23
gr-gr
|
276
doz-doz
|
23.5
gr-gr
|
282
doz-doz
|
24
gr-gr
|
288
doz-doz
|
24.5
gr-gr
|
294
doz-doz
|
25
gr-gr
|
300
doz-doz
|
25.5
gr-gr
|
306
doz-doz
|
26
gr-gr
|
312
doz-doz
|
26.5
gr-gr
|
318
doz-doz
|
27
gr-gr
|
324
doz-doz
|
27.5
gr-gr
|
330
doz-doz
|
28
gr-gr
|
336
doz-doz
|
28.5
gr-gr
|
342
doz-doz
|
29
gr-gr
|
348
doz-doz
|
29.5
gr-gr
|
354
doz-doz
|
30
gr-gr
|
360
doz-doz
|
30.5
gr-gr
|
366
doz-doz
|
31
gr-gr
|
372
doz-doz
|
31.5
gr-gr
|
378
doz-doz
|
32
gr-gr
|
384
doz-doz
|
32.5
gr-gr
|
390
doz-doz
|
33
gr-gr
|
396
doz-doz
|
33.5
gr-gr
|
402
doz-doz
|
34
gr-gr
|
408
doz-doz
|
34.5
gr-gr
|
414
doz-doz
|
35
gr-gr
|
420
doz-doz
|
35.5
gr-gr
|
426
doz-doz
|
36
gr-gr
|
432
doz-doz
|
36.5
gr-gr
|
438
doz-doz
|
37
gr-gr
|
444
doz-doz
|
37.5
gr-gr
|
450
doz-doz
|
38
gr-gr
|
456
doz-doz
|
38.5
gr-gr
|
462
doz-doz
|
39
gr-gr
|
468
doz-doz
|
39.5
gr-gr
|
474
doz-doz
|
40
gr-gr
|
480
doz-doz
|
40.5
gr-gr
|
486
doz-doz
|
41
gr-gr
|
492
doz-doz
|
41.5
gr-gr
|
498
doz-doz
|
42
gr-gr
|
504
doz-doz
|
42.5
gr-gr
|
510
doz-doz
|
43
gr-gr
|
516
doz-doz
|
43.5
gr-gr
|
522
doz-doz
|
44
gr-gr
|
528
doz-doz
|
44.5
gr-gr
|
534
doz-doz
|
45
gr-gr
|
540
doz-doz
|
45.5
gr-gr
|
546
doz-doz
|
46
gr-gr
|
552
doz-doz
|
46.5
gr-gr
|
558
doz-doz
|
47
gr-gr
|
564
doz-doz
|
47.5
gr-gr
|
570
doz-doz
|
48
gr-gr
|
576
doz-doz
|
48.5
gr-gr
|
582
doz-doz
|
49
gr-gr
|
588
doz-doz
|
49.5
gr-gr
|
594
doz-doz
|
50
gr-gr
|
600
doz-doz
|
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