Legal Definitions - weight

Definition: Weight is a measure of how heavy something is. It tells us how much matter is in an object.

For example, if you weigh a bag of apples, the weight will tell you how heavy the bag is. There are two types of weight:

• Gross weight: This is the total weight of something, including its contents and any packaging. For example, the gross weight of a box of cereal includes the weight of the cereal and the weight of the box it comes in.
• Net weight: This is the weight of something after you deduct the weight of its container, wrapping, and any other extraneous matter. For example, the net weight of a bag of chips is the weight of the chips themselves, without the weight of the bag they come in.

These examples illustrate the definition of weight by showing how weight is used to measure the heaviness of objects. Gross weight tells us the total weight of something, while net weight tells us the weight of the thing itself, without any extra weight from its packaging or container.