Oddly cheap commodities.

[Murphy]

Let's say a ton of assorted packaged food costs Cr3000.

A displacement ton is 14 cubic meters. Factoring in packaging, I assume that our commodity might have a density of 500kg/m3. This means we are buying 7000 kg of food for Cr3000, at Cr0.4 per kilo.

Starship-quality machine components, Cr12000 per dton. I assume density of steel (7800 kg/m3), but will reduce it to 2000 kg/m3 due to packaging space. 14 cubic meters would weigh 28000 kg, and a kilo of spare parts would be Cr0.4.

Now let's say we're buying gold. MgT gives us a value of about KCr100 per dt. Gold density is about 20000 kg/m3. This means a displacement ton of gold weighs 280000 kg, and costs, again, Cr0.4 per kilo.

What. The. Hell.

P.S. The prices seem a lot more realistic if we assume they are given per metric ton of mass.
Note that I'm not looking at things strictly from trading perspective. I used to refer to MgT tables when calculating expenses for building one's own base, and I tried to use them when I needed to calculate sale prices for scavenged resources from my Carben campaign.

 

[aramis]

TNE implies a mass limit of 10,000.kg per 1Td. So a Td of steel is 10,000kg of steel, and about 1.4 cubic meters.

There are real world units that are similarly joint volume and mass limit: TEU. Twenty-foot Equivalent Units"...

The prices, however, are 1977 US$ spot market prices from the midwest per mass-ton. At least for those I've been able to check. I can see a 10:1 reduction for metals....

 

[rancke]

TNE implies a mass limit of 10,000.kg per 1Td. So a Td of steel is 10,000kg of steel, and about 1.4 cubic meters.

So if you're carrying 10 dT of steel, you can fit a bit under 9 dT of feathers in the cargo hold "for free"?


Hans

 

[atpollard]

... at Cr0.4 per kilo.
... would be Cr0.4.
... again, Cr0.4 per kilo.

Sweet ... one price fits all.
That will make life so much easier in the future:

"It doesn't list a weight for (item xyz)."
"No problem, it weighs 2.5 kg per credit, just like everything else."

 

[Chuck Anumia]

Let's say a ton of assorted packaged food costs Cr3000.

A displacement ton is 14 cubic meters. Factoring in packaging, I assume that our commodity might have a density of 500kg/m3. This means we are buying 7000 kg of food for Cr3000, at Cr0.4 per kilo.

Starship-quality machine components, Cr12000 per dton. I assume density of steel (7800 kg/m3), but will reduce it to 2000 kg/m3 due to packaging space. 14 cubic meters would weigh 28000 kg, and a kilo of spare parts would be Cr0.4.

Now let's say we're buying gold. MgT gives us a value of about KCr100 per dt. Gold density is about 20000 kg/m3. This means a displacement ton of gold weighs 280000 kg, and costs, again, Cr0.4 per kilo.

What. The. Hell.

P.S. The prices seem a lot more realistic if we assume they are given per metric ton of mass.
Note that I'm not looking at things strictly from trading perspective. I used to refer to MgT tables when calculating expenses for building one's own base, and I tried to use them when I needed to calculate sale prices for scavenged resources from my Carben campaign.

For some reason I see this as the cost to "Ship" and item rather than the cost to purchase it...

 

[HG_B]

Let's say a ton of assorted packaged food costs Cr3000. ...

I remember when I first read the CT book that had this. Tossed those rules out and came up with my own at that point.

 

[Timerover51]

Let's say a ton of assorted packaged food costs Cr3000.

A displacement ton is 14 cubic meters. Factoring in packaging, I assume that our commodity might have a density of 500kg/m3. This means we are buying 7000 kg of food for Cr3000, at Cr0.4 per kilo.

My US Army logistic manuals state that one long ton of assorted food items occupies 100 cubic feet, so you would get 5 long tons or 11,200 pounds or 5,080 kilograms of assorted food per Traveller displacement ton. Currently, the military is spending about $9.60 per day per person for food, at about 6 pounds of food per person average, so about $1.60 per pound of assorted food. That would be $3.80 per kilogram, so at my current currency conversion rate from Dollars to Imperial Credits of $2 per Credit, that would mean a kilogram of food would average 1.9 Credits.

Starship-quality machine components, Cr12000 per dton. I assume density of steel (7800 kg/m3), but will reduce it to 2000 kg/m3 due to packaging space. 14 cubic meters would weigh 28000 kg, and a kilo of spare parts would be Cr0.4.

I packed machine parts to help pay my way through college, and spare parts are a lot less dense than 2000 kg/m3. I would put it at more like 250 kg/m3 for an average, which would equate to 3,500 kilograms per displacement ton, which would result in about 3.5 (3.42 if you want to be picky) credits per kilogram average price. That is far too low for the Real World.

Now let's say we're buying gold. MgT gives us a value of about KCr100 per dt. Gold density is about 20000 kg/m3. This means a displacement ton of gold weighs 280000 kg, and costs, again, Cr0.4 per kilo.

Research Station Gamma and the MegaTraveller Library Data both give the value of a Droyne gold coyn at 400 credits, with the coyn weighing 2 ounces (presumably troy weight). That would make it 200 credits per ounce of gold. There are about 32 troy ounces in a kilogram of gold, so a kilogram of gold should cost 6400 Imperial Credits.

What. The. Hell.

P.S. The prices seem a lot more realistic if we assume they are given per metric ton of mass.
Note that I'm not looking at things strictly from trading perspective. I used to refer to MgT tables when calculating expenses for building one's own base, and I tried to use them when I needed to calculate sale prices for scavenged resources from my Carben campaign.

I would put the average price for assorted foods at 2 Credit per kilogram, and the cost of spare parts at more like 30-40 Credits per kilogram as an average.

 

[Murphy]

That gives some insight, thanks. I'll still have to rework the table I guess.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

So if you're carrying 10 dT of steel, you can fit a bit under 9 dT of feathers in the cargo hold "for free"?


Hans

So, with both cargoes, you could be said to be "feathering your nest"?

 

[Timerover51]

So if you're carrying 10 dT of steel, you can fit a bit under 9 dT of feathers in the cargo hold "for free"?


Hans

We have some friends who are missionaries in Tanzania, and they periodically get a shipment of corrugated steel for use in construction. The steel will max out the weight limit of the container pretty quick and leave a lot of unused volume. What they do then is pack that with used clothing donations, which is essentially shipped for "free" as the steel pays for the container.

As a side note, as they are located on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, any shipments have a long way to go internally in Tanzania to reach them. They figure if they get 30% of a container, that they are lucky. Every once in a while, the container disappears on the way from the port.

 

[Timerover51]

TNE implies a mass limit of 10,000.kg per 1Td. So a Td of steel is 10,000kg of steel, and about 1.4 cubic meters.

There are real world units that are similarly joint volume and mass limit: TEU. Twenty-foot Equivalent Units"...

The prices, however, are 1977 US$ spot market prices from the midwest per mass-ton. At least for those I've been able to check. I can see a 10:1 reduction for metals....

Am I correct, Aramis, that you are looking for as much data as possible on historic prices?

 

[aramis]

Am I correct, Aramis, that you are looking for as much data as possible on historic prices?

Only for 1976-1977... and only for certain kinds of commodities.

 

[Timerover51]

Only for 1976-1977... and only for certain kinds of commodities.

I am working on a list of prices for commodities as far back as I can go, which is why I was asking.