an estimate of the hull space needed to fit the roughly cylindrical tun and is broadly consistent with the much earlier French definition given below.

The Bordeaux tun was used as a measurement elsewhere in Europe. By the 16th century, multi-decked ships which were loaded through hatchways (as opposed to earlier undecked or single decked ships) found it more convenient to use a smaller size of standard barrel. This was the barrique bordelaise, measuring a quarter of the size of the tun (in English, this barrel was termed a hogshead).