Encoded Trivia #84

About This Answer

A gross equals 144 items (12 dozen), a counting unit used in commerce and wholesale trade. According to business historians at the Smithsonian Institution, the gross emerged in medieval European trade for bulk counting. The National Institute of Standards and Technology recognizes the gross as a traditional counting measure. Wholesale merchants use gross counts for packaging screws, pencils, and other small items. The 144-item gross provides efficient bulk counting and packaging standardization in manufacturing and distribution.