NCERT Class 5 Maths · Chapter 8

Weight and Capacity

Grams, kilograms, milligrams, quintals, and tonnes, plus litres and millilitres. Convert, compare, and solve everyday problems.

📌 What you’ll learn in this chapter
  • Reading weighing scales
  • Converting kg ↔ g, g ↔ mg, and kg ↔ quintal ↔ tonne
  • Converting litres ↔ millilitres
  • Comparing, adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing weights and capacities

🛒 Let’s Begin: At the Kirana Shop

Nikhil’s mother sends him to buy 2 kg of atta, 500 g of dal, and 1 litre of oil. The shopkeeper puts the atta on the scale. The needle moves to 2 kg. Then he pours oil into a 1-litre measuring mug.

Weight tells us how heavy something is. Capacity tells us how much liquid a container can hold.

⚖️ Part 1: Units of Weight

UnitRelationUsed for
Milligram (mg)1,000 mg = 1 gMedicine, gold, an ant
Gram (g)1,000 g = 1 kgBiscuit packet, spices, fruits
Kilogram (kg)Base unitRice bag, a child’s weight
Quintal100 kg = 1 quintalWheat sold by farmers
Tonne1,000 kg = 1 tonne = 10 quintalsTrucks, elephants, whales

Reading a scale

Look at the biggest number on the dial, then count how many small marks there are between two labelled numbers. If a 1 kg gap has 4 small parts, each part is 1,000 ÷ 4 = 250 g. If it has 5 parts, each part is 200 g.

Converting weights

4 kg 250 g = 4,000 g + 250 g = 4,250 g

6 kg 45 g = 6,000 + 45 = 6,045 g (not 6,450!)

8,030 g = 8,000 g + 30 g = 8 kg 30 g

3 g 250 mg = 3,250 mg

7,000 kg = 70 quintals = 7 tonnes

⚠️ Common mistake 2 kg 5 g = 2,500 g ❌
✅ Grams need 3 places: 5 g → 005. So 2 kg 5 g = 2,005 g.

🥛 Part 2: Capacity (Litres and Millilitres)

1 litre (l) = 1,000 millilitres (ml)

  • A teaspoon holds about 5 ml, and a cup of chai about 150 ml
  • A water bottle holds 500 ml or 1 l, and a bucket about 15–20 l

2 l 400 ml = 2,000 + 400 = 2,400 ml · 5 l 60 ml = 5,060 ml · 7,008 ml = 7 l 8 ml

A 250 ml glass: 4 glasses = 1,000 ml = 1 litre

➕ Part 3: Adding and Subtracting

Add kg with kg and g with g. If the grams go over 1,000, change 1,000 g into 1 kg.

Adding: Sunita bought 3 kg 650 g of potatoes and 2 kg 700 g of onions.
3 kg + 2 kg = 5 kg · 650 g + 700 g = 1,350 g = 1 kg 350 g
Total = 6 kg 350 g

Subtracting: A 5 l can of oil. 1 l 750 ml is used.
5,000 ml − 1,750 ml = 3,250 ml = 3 l 250 ml left

💡 Easy trick When it’s confusing, change everything into the smaller unit (g or ml), do the sum, then change it back.

✖️ Part 4: Multiplying and Dividing

Multiply: One ladoo box weighs 750 g. What do 6 boxes weigh?
6 × 750 g = 4,500 g = 4 kg 500 g

Divide: 3 l 600 ml of lassi is shared equally in 6 glasses.
3,600 ml ÷ 6 = 600 ml each

Price: 1 kg of apples costs ₹120. What does 2 kg 500 g cost?
2 kg = ₹240, and 500 g (half a kg) = ₹60. Total = ₹300

❌ Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mixing up weight and capacity units
✅ Solids: g/kg. Liquids: ml/l.
Forgetting that 1 kg = 1,000 g (not 100)
✅ kilo = 1,000.
Answers like 3 kg 1,200 g
✅ Change 1,000 g into 1 kg: 4 kg 200 g.
Comparing without converting
✅ Make both the same unit first.

✏️ Practice Time

Try these on your own first, then check your answer below each question.

Q1. Choose a sensible weight for a school bag: 5 g, 5 kg, or 5 quintals?
✅ Answer5 kg
Q2. Convert: (a) 9 kg 90 g = __ g (b) 4,705 ml = __ l __ ml (c) 6 tonnes = __ kg
✅ Answer(a) 9,090 g (b) 4 l 705 ml (c) 6,000 kg
Q3. Compare: 2 kg 80 g __ 2,800 g
✅ Answer2,080 g < 2,800 g
Q4. A water tank had 500 l. 175 l 500 ml was used. How much is left?
✅ Answer500 l − 175 l = 325 l, then 325 l − 500 ml = 324 l 500 ml
Q5. A packet of salt weighs 400 g. How much do 8 packets weigh?
✅ Answer3,200 g = 3 kg 200 g
Q6. How many 200 ml glasses can be filled from a 3 l jug?
✅ Answer3,000 ÷ 200 = 15 glasses
Q7. A tablet has 500 mg of medicine. How many tablets make 2 g?
✅ Answer2 g = 2,000 mg, and 2,000 ÷ 500 = 4 tablets

📘 NCERT Textbook Activity Help

Hints and answers for the activities in the textbook, page by page. Try each one yourself before looking at the answer!

Page 104 · Check! Check! and scales

Correct weights and reading the dial

✅ Answer Correct (✓): Bed – 60 kg, Rice bag – 5 kg, Bucket – 1 kg 800 g, Water bottle – 650 g. Wrong: the almirah, sofa, and refrigerator weigh tens of kg, not grams.
Scales: Find what one small mark is worth, then count the marks from 0 to the needle. Reading the pictures, the needles show about: (a) 600 g (b) 1 kg 800 g (c) 2 kg 600 g (d) 2 kg 600 g (e) 150 g (f) 650 g. Check these with your teacher by counting the marks in your book, since the dials are small.
Page 105 · Same measure

Match the bags

✅ Answer5 kg = 5,000 g · 10 kg = 10,000 g · 3 kg = 3,000 g · 6 kg = 6,000 g · 25 kg = 25,000 g · 30 kg = 30,000 g
Double number line: 3,000 g, 8,000 g, 15 kg, 20,000 g, 25 kg, 30,000 g. The multiplier is × 1,000.
Page 106 · Let Us Find

Shamim and Rehan

✅ AnswerQ1: 5,050 g is correct, because 50 g is written as 050 after the thousands.
Q2: (a) 7,067 g (b) 3,300 g (c) 8,069 g (d) 10 kg 760 g (e) 4 kg 80 g (f) 12 kg 42 g
Page 107 · Comparison

Picnic fruits and comparing

✅ Answer Q1: (a) Watermelon (b) Apples (c) Watermelon > Mangoes > Pineapple > Apples
Q2: (a) 1,600 g < 1,700 g (b) 1,600 g > 1,060 g (c) 10,035 g = 10,035 g (d) < (e) 5,050 g > 4,500 g (f) 7,900 g = 7,900 g
Pages 108–109 · Milligram

Sachets, ornaments, and comparing

✅ Answer Q1: 5 g = 5,000 mg
Q2: 1,000 mg, 5,000 mg, 12,000 mg, 20,000 mg (= 20 g), 25,000 mg, 31,000 mg (= 31 g)
Q3: 4,100 mg · Q4: 10,500 mg
Q5: (a) > (b) < (c) 2,010 mg < 2,100 mg (d) 9 g < 90 g (e) < (f) 888 mg = 888 mg
Page 109 · Quintals and tonnes

Elephant, whale, and the king

✅ Answer Q6: 5,000 × 40 = 2,00,000 kg (the blue whale)
Q7: (a) 5,000 kg = 50 quintals = 5 tonnes (b) 90 quintals (c) 8,000 kg
King’s weight: (a) 800 ÷ 10 = 80 kg (b) 780 ÷ 10 = 78 kg (c) 2 kg gained
Pages 110–111 · The Grocery Store

Rice and Let Us Do

✅ Answer Rathna: total 4 kg 250 g. The rice for household use is 750 g more than the rice for Pongal.
1. 26 kg 700 g 2. 6 kg 50 g 3. 5 kg 500 g 4. 6 kg 50 g 5. 30 kg 600 g 6. 4 kg 250 g 7. 65 kg − 42 kg 275 g = 22 kg 725 g, then + 52 kg 500 g = 75 kg 225 g
Pages 112–113 · More operations

Grocery bill and scrap dealer

✅ Answer Q1: Rice ₹750 · Flour ₹290 · Sugar ₹225 · Chana dal ₹252 · Besan ₹240 · Jaggery ₹70 (Total ₹1,827)
Q2: × 2 → 1,000 g (1 kg) · Q3: × 2 → ₹146
Q4: (a) 16 × 8 = ₹128 (b) 20 kg is 2 × 10 kg → ₹400 (c) 10 kg is 2 × 5 kg → ₹60
Page 113 · Measuring capacity

Tea and bucket

✅ Answer2 cups of tea need about 300 ml of liquid (water + milk). 1 l is too much, and 500 ml is more than enough. A bucket holding 20 ml is wrong. It should be 20 l.
Ramiz: 500 ml + 500 ml = 1,000 ml = 1 l · Muskaan: 3 l = 3,000 ml, so she refills a 500 ml bottle 6 times
Page 114 · Containers and Milkman

Total capacity and milk delivery

✅ Answer Containers (reading the top mark of each as its full capacity): 1 l + 500 ml + 100 ml = 1 l 600 ml · 1 l + 500 ml = 1 l 500 ml · 100 + 100 + 500 ml = 0 l 700 ml · 1 l + 1 l + 100 ml = 2 l 100 ml
2 l = 2,000 ml. Number line: 6,000 ml · 8,000 ml · 12 l · 14,000 ml · 20 l · 25 l
Table: Arora 8,000 ml · Nair 14,000 ml · Shrivastava 12 l · Das 20 l · Rao 25 l
Page 115 · Let Us Think

Mary and Daisy’s bottle

✅ Answer1,400 ml is correct (1,000 ml + 400 ml).
(a) 3,008 ml (b) 9,090 ml (c) 14 l 75 ml (d) 8,086 ml (e) 12 l 200 ml (f) 18 l 350 ml
Pages 116–117 · Petrol pump

Fuel sales and comparing

✅ Answer Totals: Truck 1,500 l · Bus 1,800 l · Car 500 l · Auto 96 l · Two-wheeler 125 l
(a) 1,800 − 1,500 = 300 l more for buses (b) Total = 4,021 l
Q3: (a) 5,600 ml > 5,400 ml (b) > (c) 990 ml > 909 ml (d) = (e) <
Q4: Sam bought 5 l 300 ml, and his bike had 3 l 700 ml before refuelling.
Page 118 · Let Us Solve

Bottles, glasses, and juice

✅ Answer 1. Riya: 2 l + 2 l = 4,000 ml. Aarav: 2,250 ml. Riya filled 1 l 750 ml more.
2. (a) 8 × 360 = 2,880 ml (2 l 880 ml) (b) 2,880 + 120 = 3,000 ml = 3 l (c) 3 × ₹40 = ₹120
3. (a) 5,000 ÷ 250 = 20 glasses (b) 10 glasses = 2,500 ml, so 2 l 500 ml is left (c) 20 × ₹25 = ₹500
4. 8,400 ml ÷ 7 = 1,200 ml = 1 l 200 ml
5. 8 × 1,075 ml = 8,600 ml = 8 l 600 ml

👨‍👩‍👧 Tips for Parents

  • Let your child read the weight on packets at home (atta, dal, biscuits) and arrange them from heaviest to lightest.
  • Use a measuring jug while cooking: “How many 250 ml cups make 1 litre?”
  • At the vegetable shop, ask them to work out the price of 500 g or 1½ kg.
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