Segantang

Segantang is a traditional unit of volume used in the Malay-speaking world and parts of the Indian Ocean littoral for measuring dry goods, especially rice. The term appears in historical records and trade documents in regions such as the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, and surrounding islands. Segantang is generally understood as a form of the gantang system, with the prefix se- indicating a single unit; thus segantang often denotes an amount corresponding to one gantang.

Size and regional variation: The exact value of a segantang varied by locality and period. The underlying gantang itself was not standardized across all areas, and values reported for a gantang ranged from roughly one to several liters depending on time and place. Consequently, a segantang could roughly mirror the local gantang size in a given region, rather than representing a single universal measurement. In practice, segantang functioned as a practical unit for commerce and administration—useful for pricing, taxation, and record-keeping rather than as a rigid standard.

Usage: Segantang was primarily used for measuring rice and other staple grains, but it could also appear in records involving spices, dried goods, and agricultural products. It served as a convenient, commonly understood quantity in markets, inventories, and official documents before metrication.

Decline and legacy: With the adoption of metric systems and formalized colonial administrations, traditional units like segantang gradually fell out of official use during the 19th and 20th centuries. They persist in historical sources, local dialects, and some rural markets as part of cultural heritage and customary measurement practices.

See also: gantang.