A decagram is a multiple of the base metric unit for mass, representing exactly 10 grams or 0.01 kilograms. While officially part of the SI system, it is rarely used in scientific or industrial contexts, where grams and kilograms dominate. It occasionally appears in European food recipes and retail pricing for small quantities of produce or deli items.
Heard on the job
The recipe calls for two decagrams of active dry yeast, so just weigh out twenty grams on the scale.
Insider tip
You will almost never see this unit in engineering or science, but you might spot its abbreviation, dag, on food packaging in central Europe.
Also heard as
- dekagram
- dag
Do not mix it up with
- Decigram: A decagram is ten grams, while a decigram is one-tenth of a gram.