Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 18, 2026

Stick (unit)

The stick may refer to several separate units, depending on the item being measured.

Last revised
Jun 18, 2026
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The stick may refer to several separate units, depending on the item being measured.

Length

In typography, the stick, stickful, or stick of type was an inexact length based on the size of the various composing sticks used by newspaper editors to assemble pieces of moveable type.123 In English-language papers, it was roughly equal to 2 column inches or 100–150 words.3 In France, Spain, and Italy, sticks generally contained only between 1 and 4 lines of text each.2 A column was notionally equal to 10 sticks.45

Mass

A stick of butter source ↗

In American cooking, a stick of butter is taken to be 4 ounces (about 113 g).67

Volume

In American cooking, a stick of butter may also be understood as ½ cup or 8 tablespoons (about 118 mL).67

See also

See also

References

References

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