Why does "bbl" = "barrel"?

[Brooke]

As far as abbreviations go, it's not very intuitive. How do we get "bbl" from "barrel"?

[Bowser]

Blue barrel.

[Brooke]

Blue barrel.

ahhhh ...

[trinydex]

what is the significance of blue?

[sorensen440]

BBL has different meanings depending on if were talking gun barrels or as a unit of measurement in barrels ( oil/wine barrels are referred to as bbl's too)

Ive seen BBL used in firearms to describe Blued Barrels and bull barrels as well

[Bowser]

I think 42gallon barrel for oil are blue and that's what they refer to them as, blue barrles or bbl for short. But wikipedia says that it dates before those standard american BBLs were around.

[savasyn]

Can also be found as an old school car term regarding the number of venturis the carburetor had. For instance a four barrel carb was denoted as either a 4v(four venturi) or 4bbl(four barrel).

[sorensen440]

I think 42gallon barrel for oil are blue and that's what they refer to them as, blue barrles or bbl for short. But wikipedia says that it dates before those standard american BBLs were around.

I could be wrong but I think it originated with burgundy barrels

[Librarian]

Apparently ....

Where Does That 2nd 'B' in the Abbreviation for Crude Barrels (
by: TickerSense October 17, 2006

On a side note, here's a little history lesson from your friends at Ticker Sense. You might have noticed long ago that the official abbreviation for barrels (when referencing a barrel of crude oil) is "BBL," despite the obvious fact that the word "barrel" lacks a second "b."

What are the origins of this mysterious "b"? The answer, courtesy of the Energy Information Administration:

In the early 1860's, when oil production began, there was no standard container for oil, so oil and petroleum products were stored and transported in barrels of all different shapes and sizes (beer barrels, fish barrels, molasses barrels, turpentine barrels, etc.). By the early 1870's, the 42-gallon barrel had been adopted as the standard for oil trade. This was 2 gallons per barrel more than the 40-gallon standard used by many other industries at the time. The extra 2 gallons was to allow for evaporation and leaking during tranport (most barrels were made of wood). Standard Oil began manufacturing 42 gallon barrels that were blue to be used for transporting petroleum. The use of a blue barrel, abbreviated "bbl," guaranteed a buyer that this was a 42-gallon barrel.

[Ironchef]

I only use the abbreviation for describing bull barrels. Not a good abbreviation to use in firearms because of the broad dual meaning.

[BamBam-31]

Wwhat's wwrong wwith "bbl" as an aabbreviation?

[Spyder]

Why is it two b's in automotive speak then?

And why is pound lb?

[Spyder]

Bam Bam I hate you. Give me back my eyes.

[BamBam-31]

Bam Bam I hate you. Give me back my eyes.

Llol!

From Wiki: "The libra (Latin for "scales / balance") is an ancient Roman unit of mass that was equivalent to approximately 327 grams. It was divided into 12 uncia, or ounces. The libra is the origin of the abbreviation for pound, lb."