  We compare the various chirality measures most widely used in the literature
to quantify chiral symmetry in extended solids, i.e., the continuous chirality
measure, the Hausdorff distance, and the angular momentum. By studying these
functions in an algebraically tractable case, we can evaluate their strengths
and weaknesses when applied to more complex crystals. Going beyond those
classical calculations, we propose a new method to quantify the handedness of a
crystal based on a pseudoscalar function, i.e., the helicity. This quantity,
borrowed from hydrodynamics, can be computed from the eigenvector carrying the
system from the high-symmetry non-chiral phase to the low-symmetry chiral
phase. Different model systems like K$_3$NiO$_2$, CsCuCl$_3$ and MgTi$_2$O$_4$
are used as test cases where we show the superior interest of using helicity to
quantify chirality together with the handedness distinction.
