![]() Because of my passion for all things metric, I encourage companies to investigate adopting metric practices whenever possible and show them how doing so can make a strategic economic impact for their organization. I’m the coordinator of NIST’s Metric Program. In addition, many industries extensively use international supply lines to develop, manufacture and sell their products around the world. Adopting the latest science and technology, developed using metric design practices, enables innovation. Why? While some businesses are concerned that consumers expect to see customary units on the package, when it comes to manufacturing processes, they are under constant pressure to stay competitive. ![]() customary units are still seen alongside metric units on product labels and merchandise literature, it’s common for the goods themselves to be made using SI-based manufacturing processes. In actuality, below the water’s surface, we find that all measurements are dependent on the SI, linked through an unbroken chain of traceable measurements.Īlthough U.S. customary units appear to still be in full effect. customary units you’re familiar with (feet, pounds, gallons, Fahrenheit, etc.), are defined in terms of the SI-and mass, length, and volume have been defined in metric units since 1893! The SI’s influence is pervasive and felt even if most people don’t know it. All our measurement units, including U.S. It’s impossible to avoid using the metric system in the United States. While shopping, consumers easily evaluate light output (lumen), peak beam intensity (candela), beam distance (meter), and impact resistance (meter). Voluntary package labeling standards adopted by flashlight manufacturers help consumers make product comparisons. SI units are increasingly used on consumer product labeling in the U.S.Metric units are used extensively on packages to provide net quantity, nutrition, and health-related information, and for prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicine, vitamin supplement dosing, and other consumer products. ![]() products, like wine and distilled spirits, have been successfully sold with only metric measures since the early 1980s. coins & currency are produced using metric specifications. After all, the second (s) is the SI base unit of time. It’s been legal to use the metric system since 1866, and metric became the preferred system of weights and measures for U.S. The United States was one of the original countries to sign the Treaty of the Meter in 1875, which is now celebrated annually on May 20, World Metrology Day. There are still countries that are amending their national laws to adopt a mandatory metric policy and others pursuing voluntary metrication. Every international economy is positioned somewhere along a continuum moving toward increased SI use. Russ Rowlett, retired University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor of education and mathematics, emphasizes on his website that becoming metric is not a one-time event but a process that happens over time. While it’s true that metric use is mandatory in some countries and voluntary in others, all countries have recognized and adopted the SI, including the United States. It’s a compelling story and often repeated, but you might be surprised to learn that it’s simply untrue!
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