A bushel is a unit of dry volume historically used for agricultural commodities. For apples, the standard weight of a bushel is approximately 48 pounds, though this can vary slightly due to factors like apple variety and packing method. A smaller unit, a peck, equals one-quarter of a bushel, or roughly 12 pounds of apples.
Standardized weights for produce units like bushels facilitate fair trade and efficient record-keeping throughout the agricultural supply chain. This allows growers, wholesalers, and retailers to use a common metric for pricing and inventory management. Historically, bushels connected the volume of harvested produce to estimated weights, simplifying transactions before widespread access to accurate scales. This system continues to serve an important function in modern agriculture.