DWT
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Deadweight tonnage |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Transportation & Travel, Units & Measurements |
| Also written | dwt |
DWT has two meanings. It stands for Deadweight tonnage (maritime) or Pennyweight (US customary and imperial unit).
Meanings of DWT at a glance
| # | DWT stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deadweight tonnage | Transportation & Travel › Maritime |
| 2 | Pennyweight | Units & Measurements › US Customary and Imperial Unit |
1. Deadweight tonnage
Transportation & Travel · Maritime Abbreviations
Total weight a ship can safely carry, including cargo, fuel, fresh water, stores, passengers and crew, measured in metric tonnes. DWT is the standard size measure for tankers and bulk carriers.
Example: The Capesize bulk carrier has a capacity of 180,000 DWT of iron ore.
Deadweight measures carrying capacity by weight, whereas gross tonnage measures internal volume, so the two figures differ widely for the same ship. Ship classes such as Panamax and Suezmax are partly defined by deadweight. The term "deadweight" refers to everything that is not the ship itself.
2. Pennyweight (dwt)
Units & Measurements · US Customary and Imperial Unit Abbreviations
One twentieth of a troy ounce, about 1.555 grams. Jewelers and scrap-gold buyers in the US price gold by the pennyweight, and some jewelry casting supplies are sold in it.
Example: We pay $62 per dwt for 14K scrap gold today.
The name comes from the weight of an English silver penny, and the d stands for denarius, the old abbreviation for penny. Twenty-four grains make one pennyweight. In shipping, DWT or dwt also means deadweight tonnage, a ship's carrying capacity, which is unrelated.
Related abbreviations
More maritime abbreviations
- COLREGS – International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
- CPA – Closest point of approach
- DR – Dead reckoning
- DSC – Digital selective calling
- ECDIS – Electronic Chart Display and Information System
- EPIRB – Emergency position-indicating radio beacon
- FCL – Full container load
- FEU – Forty-foot equivalent unit
See all 61 maritime abbreviations →