From Hollywood blockbusters to music videos by some of the biggest music acts in the world, dollar bills are one thing that is constantly flashing before our eyes. Be it a team of heist men or drug dealers seeking to transport illegally made cash or our favorite rappers throwing wads of it as evidence of the good life; bundles of cash are perpetually on our screens. Decades of such portrayals have led to several conceptions about the American Currency. While some of it is true, others are false and we are here to break it all down.
How Much Does a 1 Dollar Bill Weigh?
A 1 dollar bill weighs approximately one gram and so does all other denominations of the American paper currency. As is common knowledge, The American paper currency comes in seven denominations, the $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills. The purchasing powers of these denominations vary but if there is one thing that they all have in common, it is that they weigh exactly the same.
According to the United States Bureau of Printing and Engraving, every denomination of the dollar weighs one gram. The paper used to produce the bills is 75% cotton and 25% linen, and they are made to be durable enough to withstand 4,000 double folds before tearing. Given this fact, it means that a 1 dollar bill, as well as other denominations, weigh the same as a paper clip, a pinch of salt, a pen cap, a piece of gum, or a thumbtack.
How Much Does a Single 100 Dollar Bill Weigh?
The 100 dollar bill may be the highest denomination of the American paper currency but it also weighs the same thing as the lowest 1 dollar bill and that is one gram. This is where the similarities between the two denominations stop though. While the 1 dollar bill boasts of the portrait of America’s very first president George Washington, the 100 dollar bill famously has that of one of America’s founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin.
There is also a huge gulf of difference between what the 1 dollar bill can buy for you and what a 100 dollar bill can buy. While the latter can get you eight to ten movie tickets, 10 months’ worth of Netflix subscription, 200 packages of ramen, etc., the former will only be useful in a dollar store where you can pick up cheap holiday decorations, toothbrushes, spices, and the likes.
How Much Does a 20 Dollar Bill Weigh?
Just like the 1 dollar and 100 dollar bills, the 20 dollar bill also weighs one gram. This particular denomination has been at the center of a controversy in recent times thanks to efforts to change the portrait of the personality who appears on the face of the bill.
The 20 dollar bill currently boasts of the face of America’s seventh president, Andrew Jackson. However, in recent times, there has been a push to replace it with that of Harriet Tubman, an African-American lady who fought for the abolition of slavery.
This move was sanctioned by the Obama administration in 2016 and was set to manifest in 2020. It was then halted by the coming of President Trump who pushed it forward to 2028. Such a move has displeased minorities and women and they point to it as further evidence of the president’s bias and prejudices.
How Much Does $1 Million Weigh in $100 Dollar Bills?
A simple mathematical calculation would reveal that the number of $100 bills that will give you $1 million is 10,000 notes. Going by the already-determined fact that a $100 dollar bill weighs 1 gram, it means that the weight of $1 million in $100 dollar bills is one gram × 10,000 notes which is 10,000 grams (10 Kilograms). It, therefore, means that a $1 million dollar in $100 dollar bills weighs as much as 10 kg which is the same as a car tire, a high chair, a large mirror, a medium-size dog, and a 24-pack of beverages.
Meanwhile, say you want to transport a million dollars in a stack of $50 bills, it will amount to 20,000 notes × 1 gram which is a weight of 20,000 grams (20 kg). If your denomination of choice is the $20 bill, then you will be looking at 50,000 notes × one gram which will give you 50,000 grams (50kg).
If one then descends lower to the $10 bill, then know that you will be heaving an item weighing 100kg around (100,000 notes × one gram = 100,000 grams). For the lowest denominations of $1, $2, and $5, a million dollars in these denominations would weigh 1000kg, 500kg, and 200kg respectively.
How Much Does a Billion Dollar Weigh?
As you can already tell, the answer to this puzzle would depend on the denomination involved. If it is the highest denomination, the $100 bill, then we are looking at 10,000,000 notes × 1 gram = 10,000,000 grams (10,000kg or 22,046lbs). It, therefore, means that a billion dollars in $100 bills weigh much more than an African bush elephant (13,000 lbs), a hippopotamus (8,270 lbs), and the tongue of a blue whale (6,000lbs).
The above instances give us an idea of how heavy a billion dollars is and such a humongous size will only increase as the denominations involved get lower. Below is a list of what $1 billion would weigh in other denominations.
- $50 – 20,000kg (44,092lbs)
- $20 – 50,000kg (110,231lbs)
- $10 – 100,000kg (220,462lbs)
- $5 – 200,000kg (440,924lbs)
- $2 – 500,000kg (1,102,311lbs)
- $1 – 1,000,000 kg (2,204,622 lbs).
How Tall Is a Million Dollar in $100 Compared to a Billion Dollars?
A million dollars denominated in $100 bills will be about 3 feet 4 inches tall. To arrive at this figure, you go back to the basics which is the fact that a hundred dollar bill is 0.004 inches thick. You need a stack of ten thousand of those to get to 1 million which means that the length will be 10,000 × 0.004 inches = 40 inches (3 feet 4 inches).
On the other side, a billion dollars in $100 bills will be 10,000,000 notes. If you multiply this by 0.004, you will get 40,000 inches or 3333.3 feet. It, therefore, means that a billion dollars in $100 bills will be about 3333.3 feet tall. This is quite taller than the tallest building in the world presently, which is the Burj Khalifa with a given height of 2,717 ft. tall.
Can You Fit a Million Dollars in a Briefcase?
The answer to this question depends on the denomination involved as well. If it is the $100 bill, then it is certainly possible to fit $1 million into a briefcase. The interior of a standard-sized briefcase measures 17 ¼ inches wide, 12 inches tall, and 4 inches deep.
A stack of $100 bills amounting to $25k will measure 1 ¼ inch high, 6 ¼ inches long and 2 5/8 inches wide. About 40 of this can be squeezed into a standard-sized briefcase thus arriving at $1 million.
.){kind=link}