In the United States, a "quarter" is a common informal term used to refer to a quarter of various units of measurement, such as a quarter of a dollar, a quarter of a year, or a quarter of other divisible quantities. However, when used in the context of weight or mass, a "quarter" typically refers to a quarter of a hundredweight (cwt).
Since a hundredweight (cwt) in the United States is equal to 100 pounds (lbs), a quarter of a hundredweight is equal to:
1 quarter (US) = 25 pounds (lbs)
So, when you see "quarter" used in the context of weight or mass in the United States, it generally means 25 pounds. This term is often used informally, especially in agricultural or trade contexts, to refer to a convenient fraction of weight.
The term "ton assay" in the context of the United States typically refers to the assay ton, which is a unit of measurement used in the mining industry to express the amount of valuable material contained in a quantity of ore. This measurement is particularly common in the context of precious metals like gold and silver.
An assay ton is defined as 29.1667 grams (or approximately 1.04 ounces) of ore material. Miners and metallurgists use this unit to represent a standardized sample size for the purposes of analyzing the ore's composition and determining the percentage of valuable minerals or metals within it.
The use of the assay ton is essential in assessing the economic viability of mining operations and estimating the potential yield of valuable minerals from a given ore deposit. By analyzing a sample that is equivalent to one assay ton, miners and analysts can extrapolate the likely yield from a larger quantity of ore.
So, when you encounter the term "ton assay US," it generally refers to the assay ton used in the United States for mineral analysis and mining-related calculations.