---
title: "Measured in bananas — informal unit converter"
description: "How many elephants, school buses or blue whales is that? Convert any mass or height into familiar objects, computed from sourced figures."
url: https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Measured in

Measure anything against something familiar. A figure like 47,000 kg means nothing to most people; "eight elephants" lands immediately. Every reference object here is a sourced entity with an honest range, not an invented average.

## Units of mass

| Reference | One of them weighs |
| --- | --- |
| school bus | 6,500–12,000 kg |
| city bus | 11,000–20,000 kg |
| African elephant | 2,200–10,400 kg |
| Asian elephant | 2,000–6,000 kg |
| blue whale | 50–190 t |
| giraffe | 700–1,930 kg |
| car | 1,100–2,100 kg |
| piano | 130–550 kg |
| refrigerator | 70–170 kg |
| washing machine | 55–115 kg |
| horse | 380–1,000 kg |
| shipping container | 1,800–4,800 kg |
| double-decker bus | 12.65 t |
| polar bear | 150–700 kg |
| grizzly bear | 130–360 kg |
| lion | 120–250 kg |
| tiger | 100–310 kg |
| cow | 400–1,100 kg |
| pig | 50–350 kg |
| chicken | 1.5–5.5 kg |
| mattress | 18–100 kg |
| sofa | 30–130 kg |
| bathtub | 18–180 kg |
| wheelbarrow | 12–35 kg |
| shopping cart | 12–35 kg |

- [Measured in school buses](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/school-bus/) — 6,500–12,000 kg
- [Measured in city buses](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/city-bus/) — 11,000–20,000 kg
- [Measured in African elephants](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/african-elephant/) — 2,200–10,400 kg
- [Measured in Asian elephants](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/asian-elephant/) — 2,000–6,000 kg
- [Measured in blue whales](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/blue-whale/) — 50–190 t
- [Measured in giraffes](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/giraffe/) — 700–1,930 kg
- [Measured in cars](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/car/) — 1,100–2,100 kg
- [Measured in pianos](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/piano/) — 130–550 kg
- [Measured in refrigerators](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/refrigerator/) — 70–170 kg
- [Measured in washing machines](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/washing-machine/) — 55–115 kg
- [Measured in horses](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/horse/) — 380–1,000 kg
- [Measured in shipping containers](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/shipping-container/) — 1,800–4,800 kg
- [Measured in double-decker buses](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/double-decker-bus/) — 12.65 t
- [Measured in polar bears](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/polar-bear/) — 150–700 kg
- [Measured in grizzly bears](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/grizzly-bear/) — 130–360 kg
- [Measured in lions](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/lion/) — 120–250 kg
- [Measured in tigers](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/tiger/) — 100–310 kg
- [Measured in cows](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/cow/) — 400–1,100 kg
- [Measured in pigs](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/pig/) — 50–350 kg
- [Measured in chickens](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/chicken/) — 1.5–5.5 kg
- [Measured in mattresses](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/mattress/) — 18–100 kg
- [Measured in sofas](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/sofa/) — 30–130 kg
- [Measured in bathtubs](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/bathtub/) — 18–180 kg
- [Measured in wheelbarrows](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/wheelbarrow/) — 12–35 kg
- [Measured in shopping carts](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/shopping-cart/) — 12–35 kg

## Units of height

- [Measured in school buses](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/school-bus/) — 280–330 cm
- [Measured in city buses](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/city-bus/) — 300–340 cm
- [Measured in African elephants](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/african-elephant/) — 2.2–4 m
- [Measured in Asian elephants](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/asian-elephant/) — 2–3.4 m
- [Measured in giraffes](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/giraffe/) — 4.3–5.9 m
- [Measured in cars](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/car/) — 135–155 cm
- [Measured in refrigerators](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/refrigerator/) — 150–185 cm
- [Measured in washing machines](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/washing-machine/) — 85–112 cm
- [Measured in horses](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/horse/) — 1.42–1.83 m
- [Measured in shipping containers](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/shipping-container/) — 259.1–289.6 cm
- [Measured in double-decker buses](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/double-decker-bus/) — 4.39 m
- [Measured in polar bears](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/polar-bear/) — 1–1.6 m
- [Measured in grizzly bears](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/grizzly-bear/) — 0.9–1.1 m
- [Measured in lions](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/lion/) — 0.9–1.2 m
- [Measured in tigers](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/tiger/) — 0.8–1.1 m
- [Measured in cows](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/cow/) — 1.2–1.6 m
- [Measured in pigs](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/pig/) — 0.5–1 m
- [Measured in chickens](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/chicken/) — 0.3–0.5 m
- [Measured in mattresses](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/mattress/) — 15–40 cm
- [Measured in sofas](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/sofa/) — 70–100 cm
- [Measured in shopping carts](https://atoneplace.net/measured-in/shopping-cart/) — 90–105 cm

## Common questions

### Why measure things in elephants or buses?

Because most people have no calibrated intuition for large absolute figures. A familiar object supplies that calibration by borrowing it from something already known.

### Are these comparisons exact?

No, and they cannot be. Every reference object is itself a range — elephants vary by several tonnes. The comparisons are for intuition rather than measurement, and each reference links to its own page with the real spread.