
Nails are sold by a number followed by a 'd' and by length. The 'd' stands for 'penny', so 8d refers to an 8-penny nail, 16d to a 16-penny nail, and so on. The 'd' comes from the Roman coin called the denarius, which was also the name for an English penny.
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What You'll Learn
- The 'd' in nail sizes stands for 'penny'
- The 'd' is a leftover term from the old Roman 'penny' called the denarius
- The 'd' is associated with a Roman coin called the denarius, which was also the name for an English penny
- The 'd' is used to indicate nail length
- The 'd' is used to indicate the price for a hundred nails in 15th-century England

The 'd' in nail sizes stands for 'penny'
The 'd' in nail sizes stands for penny. This dates back to the Roman occupation of England, when the 'd' was associated with a Roman coin called the denarius, which was also the name for an English penny. The penny weight of a nail refers to the price for a hundred nails in 15th-century England. The larger the nail, the more pennies were required to purchase 100 of them. Today, the penny weight is often, and incorrectly, used to refer to the length of a nail. Nails are sold both by a number followed by 'd' and by length. For example, 8d refers to an 8-penny nail, 16d to a 16-penny nail, and so on.
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The 'd' is a leftover term from the old Roman 'penny' called the denarius
The 'd' at the end of nail sizes is a leftover term from the old Roman 'penny' called the denarius. The Romans used the term denarius (plural denarii) to denote the lowest value of the librae, solidi and denarii (pounds, shillings, and pence) currency denominations. The denarius was also the name for an English penny. The penny weight of a nail refers to the price for a hundred nails in 15th-century England. The larger the nail, the more pennies were required to purchase 100 of them. So, 8d refers to an 8-penny nail, 16d to a 16-penny nail, and so on. This is why the 'd' is used to indicate nail length.
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The 'd' is associated with a Roman coin called the denarius, which was also the name for an English penny
The 'd' at the end of the nail size is a leftover term from the old Roman 'penny' called the denarius. The Romans used the term denarius (plural denarii) to denote the lowest value of the librae, solidi and denarii (pounds, shillings, and pence) currency denominations. The denarius was also the name for an English penny. The 'd' is associated with the Roman coin, which was also used to buy nails. Nails are sold both by a number followed by 'd' and by length. The 'd' stands for penny, so 8d refers to an 8-penny nail, 16d to a 16-penny nail, and so on. The penny weight of a nail refers to the price for a hundred nails in 15th-century England. The larger the nail, the more pennies were required to purchase 100 of them.
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The 'd' is used to indicate nail length
The 'd' on nails is used to indicate nail length. Nails are sold by a number followed by a 'd' and by length. The 'd' stands for 'penny', so 8d refers to an 8-penny nail, 16d to a 16-penny nail, and so on. This sizing system goes back to the Romans, who used the term 'denarius' (plural 'denarii') to denote the lowest value of the 'librae, solidi and denarii' (pounds, shillings, and pence) currency denominations. The 'd' is also associated with a Roman coin called the 'denarius', which was also the name for an English penny. In 15th-century England, the penny weight of a nail referred to the price for a hundred nails. The larger the nail, the more pennies required to purchase 100 of them.
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The 'd' is used to indicate the price for a hundred nails in 15th-century England
The 'd' on nails is used to indicate the price for a hundred nails in 15th-century England. The 'd' stands for denarius, which was a Roman coin and the lowest value of the librae, solidi and denarii (pounds, shillings, and pence) currency denominations. The 'd' was also the name for an English penny. The larger the nail, the more pennies were required to purchase a hundred of them.
Today, the penny weight is often incorrectly used to refer to the length of a nail. Nails are sold by a number followed by a 'd' and by length. For example, 8d refers to an 8-penny nail, 16d refers to a 16-penny nail, and so on.
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Frequently asked questions
The 'd' stands for penny, so 8d refers to an 8-penny nail, 16d to a 16-penny nail and so on.
The 'd' comes from the Latin word 'denarius', which was a Roman coin. The denarius was the lowest value of the librae, solidi and denarii (pounds, shillings, and pence) currency denominations.
'Lb' is short for librae, which was the Roman word for 'pounds'.
A 2d nail is 1" long.
The penny weight of a nail refers to the price for a hundred nails in 15th-century England. The larger the nail, the more pennies were required to purchase 100 of them.


































