Imperial units
The imperial system of units, imperial system or imperial units (also known as British Imperial
The imperial system developed from earlier English units as did the related but differing system of customary units of the United States. The imperial units replaced the Winchester Standards, which were in effect from 1588 to 1825.[2] The system came into official use across the British Empire in 1826.
By the late 20th century, most nations of the former empire had officially adopted the metric system as their main system of measurement, but imperial units are still used alongside metric units in the United Kingdom and in some other parts of the former empire, notably Canada.
The modern UK legislation defining the imperial system of units is given in the
Implementation
The
Apothecaries' units
Imperial apothecaries' measures, based on the imperial pint of 20 fluid ounces, were introduced by the publication of the London Pharmacopoeia of 1836,[8][9] the Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia of 1839,[10] and the Dublin Pharmacopoeia of 1850.[11] The Medical Act 1858 transferred to The Crown the right to publish the official pharmacopoeia and to regulate apothecaries' weights and measures.[12]
Units
Length
Metric equivalents in this article usually assume the latest official definition. Before this date, the most precise measurement of the imperial Standard Yard was 0.914398415 metres.[13]
Unit | Abbr. or symbols | Relative to previous | Feet | Metres
|
Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
twip | 1⁄17280 | 0.0000176389 | typographic measure | ||
thou
|
th | 1.44 twip | 1⁄12000 | 0.0000254 |
Abbreviation of "thousandth of an inch". Also known as mil.[14] |
barleycorn | 333+1⁄3 th | 1⁄36 | 0.0084667 | 1⁄3 in | |
inch |
|
3 Bc | 1⁄12 | 0.0254 | 1 metre ≈ 39.3701 in |
hand | hh | 4 in | 1⁄3 | 0.1016 | Still used in some English-speaking (i.e. US and Commonwealth) nations to measure heights of horses. |
foot |
|
3 h | 1 | 0.3048 | 12 in |
yard | yd | 3 ft | 3 | 0.9144 | Defined as exactly 0.9144 m by the international yard and pound agreement of 1959 |
chain | ch | 22 yd | 66 | 20.1168 | 100 links, 4 rods, or 1⁄10 of a furlong. The distance between the two wickets on a cricket pitch. |
furlong | fur | 10 chains | 660 | 201.168 | 220 yd |
mile | mi | 8 furlongs | 5280 | 1609.344 | 1760 yd or 80 chains |
league | lea | 3 mi | 15840 | 4828.032 | No longer an official unit in any nation.[citation needed] |
Maritime units | |||||
fathom | ftm | 2.02667 yd | 6.0761 | 1.852 | The British Admiralty in practice used a fathom of 6 ft. This was despite its being 1⁄1000 of a nautical mile (i.e. 6.08 ft) until the adoption of the international nautical mile.[15] |
cable | 100 fathoms | 607.61 | 185.2 | One tenth of a nautical mile. Equal to 100 fathoms under the strict definition. | |
nautical mile | nmi | 10 cables | 6076.1 | 1852 | Used for measuring distances at sea (and also in aviation) and approximately equal to one arc minute of a great circle. Until the adoption of the international definition of 1852 m in 1970, the British nautical (Admiralty) mile was defined as 6080 ft.[16]
|
Gunter's survey units (17th century onwards) | |||||
link | 7.92 in | 66⁄100 | 0.201168 | 1⁄100 of a chain and 1⁄1000 of a furlong | |
rod | 25 links | 66⁄4 | 5.0292 | The rod is also called pole or perch and equal to 5+1⁄2 yards |
Area
Unit | Abbr. or symbol | Relative to previous | Relation to units of length | Square feet | Square yards | Acres | Square metres | Hectares |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
perch *
|
1 rd × 1 rd | 272+1⁄4 | 30+1⁄4 | 1⁄160 | 25.29285264 | 0.002529285264 | ||
rood | 40 perches | 1 furlong × 1 rd[17] | 10890 | 1210 | 1⁄4 | 1011.7141056 | 0.10117141056 | |
acre | 4 roods | 1 furlong × 1 chain | 43560 | 4840 | 1 | 4046.8564224 | 0.40468564224 | |
square mile | sq mi | 640 acres | 1 mi × 1 mi | 27878400 | 3097600 | 640 | 2589988.110336 | 258.9988110336 |
Note: *The square rod has been called a pole or perch or, more properly, square pole or square perch for centuries. |
Volume
The
Unit | Imperial ounces |
Imperial pints |
Millilitres | Cubic inches | US ounces | US pints |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
fluid ounce (fl oz) | 1 | 1⁄20 | 28.4130625 | 1.7339 | 0.96076 | 0.060047 |
gill (gi)
|
5 | 1⁄4 | 142.0653125 | 8.6694 | 4.8038 | 0.30024 |
pint (pt) | 20 | 1 | 568.26125 | 34.677 | 19.215 | 1.2009 |
quart (qt) | 40 | 2 | 1136.5225 | 69.355 | 38.430 | 2.4019 |
gallon (gal) | 160 | 8 | 4546.09 | 277.42 | 153.72 | 9.6076 |
Note: The millilitre equivalences are exact, but cubic-inch and US measures are correct to 5 significant figures. |
Liquid | Dry | Capacity |
---|---|---|
1⁄2 gill | 4.32 cu in (70.8 mL) | |
gill | 1⁄4 pint | 8.64 cu in (141.6 mL) |
1⁄2 pint | 1⁄2 pint | 17.38 cu in (284.8 mL) |
pint | pint | 34.76 cu in (569.6 mL; 0.5696 L) |
quart | quart | 69.32 cu in (1.1360 L) |
1⁄2 gallon | 1⁄4 peck or 1⁄2 gallon | 138.64 cu in (2.2719 L) |
gallon | 1⁄2 peck or gallon | 277.274 cu in (4.54371 L) |
2 gallons (peck) | peck | 554.548 cu in (9.08741 L) |
4 gallons (1⁄2 bushel) | 1⁄2 bushel | 1,109.096 cu in (18.17483 L) |
8 gallons | bushel | 2,218.192 cu in (36.34965 L) |
64 gallons | quarter | 17,745.536 cu in (290.79723 L) |
Note: The 1824 Act removed the distinction between liquid and dry measure, specifying instead that the dry quantities shall be unheaped. The metric equivalences shown are approximate. |
British apothecaries' volume measures
These measurements were in use from 1826, when the new imperial gallon was defined. For pharmaceutical purposes, they were replaced by the metric system in the United Kingdom on 1 January 1971.[20][21] In the US, though no longer recommended, the apothecaries' system is still used occasionally in medicine, especially in prescriptions for older medications.[22][23]
Unit | Symbols and abbreviations |
Relative to previous |
Exact metric value[note 1] |
---|---|---|---|
minim | ♏︎, , m, m., min | (1⁄9600 pint) | 59.1938802083 µL
|
fluid scruple
|
fl ℈, fl s | 20 minims (1⁄480 pint) | 1.18387760416 mL |
fluid drachm (fluid dram, fluidram) |
ʒ, fl ʒ, fʒ, ƒ 3, fl dr | 3 fluid scruples (1⁄160 pint) | 3.5516328125 mL |
fluid ounce | ℥, fl ℥, f℥, ƒ ℥, fl oz | 8 fluid drachms | 28.4130625 mL |
pint | O, pt | 20 fluid ounces | 568.26125 mL |
gallon | C, gal | 8 pints | 4.54609 L |
Note:
|
Mass and weight
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the UK used three different systems for mass and weight.
- troy weight, used for precious metals;
- avoirdupois weight, used for most other purposes; and
- apothecaries' weight, now virtually unused since the metric system is used for all scientific purposes.
The distinction between
Unit | Pounds | In SI units | Notes | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
grain (gr)
|
1⁄7000 | 64.79891 mg | Exactly 64.79891 milligrams. | ||||||||||||||||||
drachm (dr) | 1⁄256 | 1.7718451953125 g | A dram is 1⁄16 of an ounce | ||||||||||||||||||
ounce (oz) | 1⁄16 | 28.349523125 g | An ounce is 1⁄16 of a pound | ||||||||||||||||||
pound (lb) | 1 | 0.45359237 kg | Defined by The Units of Measurement Regulations 1994[33] | ||||||||||||||||||
stone (st)
|
14 | 6.35029318 kg | The plural stone is often used when providing a weight (e.g. "this sack weighs 8 stone").[34] A person's weight is usually quoted in stone and pounds in English-speaking countries that use the avoirdupois system, with the exception of the United States and Canada, where it is usually quoted in pounds. | ||||||||||||||||||
quarter (qr or qtr) | 28 | 12.70058636 kg | One quarter (literally a quarter of a hundredweight) is equal to two stone or 28 pounds. The term quarter is also used in retail contexts, where it refers to four ounces, i.e. a quarter of a pound. (The 1824 Act defined a quarter as a unit of volume, as above: thus a 'quarter of wheat', 64 gallons, would weigh about 494 lb.[35]). | ||||||||||||||||||
hundredweight (cwt) | 112 | 50.80234544 kg | One imperial hundredweight is equal to eight stone. This is the long hundredweight, 112 pounds, as opposed to the short hundredweight of 100 pounds used in the United States and Canada.[36] | ||||||||||||||||||
ton (t[citation needed]) | 2240 | 1016.0469088 kg | Twenty hundredweight equals a ton (as in the US and Canadian[36] systems). The imperial hundredweight is 12% greater than the US and Canadian one. The imperial ton (or long ton) is 2240 pounds, which is much closer to a tonne (about 2204.6 pounds), compared to the 10.7% smaller North American short ton of 2000 pounds (907.185 kg). | ||||||||||||||||||
Gravitational units | |||||||||||||||||||||
slug (slug) | 32.17404856 | 14.59390294 kg | The slug, a unit associated with imperial and US customary systems, is a mass that accelerates by 1 ft/s2 when a force of one pound (lbf) is exerted on it.[37]
|
Natural equivalents
The 1824 Act of Parliament defined the yard and pound by reference to the
Following the destruction of the original prototypes in the
Current use
United Kingdom
Since the
Traders in the UK may accept requests from customers specified in imperial units, and scales which display in both unit systems are commonplace in the retail trade. Metric price signs may be accompanied by imperial price signs provided that the imperial signs are no larger and no more prominent than the metric ones.
The United Kingdom completed its official partial transition to the metric system in 1995, with imperial units still legally mandated for certain applications such as draught beer and cider,
Some British people still use one or more imperial units in everyday life for distance (miles, yards, feet, and inches) and some types of volume measurement (especially milk and beer in pints; rarely for canned or bottled soft drinks, or petrol).[38][42] As of February 2021[update], many British people also still use imperial units in everyday life for body weight (stones and pounds for adults, pounds and ounces for babies).[43] Government documents aimed at the public may give body weight and height in imperial units as well as in metric.[44] A survey in 2015 found that many people did not know their body weight or height in both systems.[45] People under the age of 40 preferred the metric system but people aged 40 and over preferred the imperial system.[46] As in other English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada and the United States, the height of horses is usually measured in hands, standardised to 4 inches (102 mm). Fuel consumption for vehicles is commonly stated in miles per gallon (mpg), though official figures always include litres per 100 km equivalents and fuel is sold in litres. When sold draught in licensed premises, beer and cider must be sold in pints, half-pints or third-pints.[47] Cow's milk is available in both litre- and pint-based containers in supermarkets and shops. Areas of land associated with farming, forestry and real estate are commonly advertised in acres and square feet but, for contracts and land registration purposes, the units are always hectares and square metres.[48]
Office space and industrial units are usually advertised in square feet. Steel pipe sizes are sold in increments of inches, while copper pipe is sold in increments of millimetres. Road bicycles have their frames measured in centimetres, while off-road bicycles have their frames measured in inches.
Pre-packaged products can show both metric and imperial measures, and it is also common to see imperial pack sizes with metric only labels, e.g. a 1 lb (454 g) tin of Lyle's Golden Syrup is always labelled 454 g with no imperial indicator. Similarly most jars of jam and packs of sausages are labelled 454 g with no imperial indicator.
India
Today all official measurements are made in the metric system. In common usage some older Indians may still refer to imperial units. Some measurements, such as the heights of mountains, are still recorded in feet. Tyre rim diameters are still measured in inches, as used worldwide. Industries like the construction and the real estate industry still use both the metric and the imperial system though it is more common for sizes of homes to be given in square feet and land in acres.[51]
In
Hong Kong
- The Qing Empire(no longer in widespread use in China);
- British imperial units; and
- The metric system.
In 1976 the
The Chinese system's most commonly used units for length are 里 (lei5), 丈 (zoeng6), 尺 (
The traditional measure of flat area is the square foot (方呎, 平方呎, fong1 cek3, ping4 fong1 cek3) of the imperial system, which is still in common use for real estate purposes. The measurement of agricultural plots and fields is traditionally conducted in 畝 (mau5) of the Chinese system.
For the measurement of volume, Hong Kong officially uses the metric system, though the gallon (加侖, gaa1 leon4-2) is also occasionally used.
Canada
During the 1970s, the metric system and SI units were introduced in Canada to replace the imperial system. Within the government, efforts to implement the metric system were extensive; almost any agency, institution, or function provided by the government uses SI units exclusively. Imperial units were eliminated from all public road signs and both systems of measurement will still be found on privately owned signs, such as the height warnings at the entrance of a
Imperial units are still used in ordinary conversation. Today, Canadians typically use a mix of metric and imperial measurements in their daily lives. The use of the metric and imperial systems varies by age. The older generation mostly uses the imperial system, while the younger generation more often uses the metric system.
Imperial units also retain common use in firearms and ammunition. Imperial measures are still used in the description of cartridge types, even when the cartridge is of relatively recent invention (e.g.,
In keeping with the international standard, air navigation is based on nautical units, e.g., the nautical mile, which is neither imperial nor metric, and altitude is measured in imperial feet.[68]
Australia
While metrication in Australia has largely ended the official use of imperial units, for particular measurements, international use of imperial units is still followed.
- In licensed venues, draught beer and cider is sold in glasses and jugs with sizes based on the imperial fluid ounce, though rounded to the nearest 5 mL.
- Newborns are measured in metric at hospitals, but the birth weight and length is sometimes also announced to family and friends in imperial units.
- Screen sizes, are frequently advertised in inches instead of or as well as centimetres.
- Property size is frequently advertised in acres, but is mostly as square metres.
- Navigation is done in nautical miles, and water-based speed limits are in nautical miles per hour.
- Historical writing and presentations may include pre-metric units to reflect the context of the era represented.
- The illicit drug trade in Australia still often uses imperial measurements, particularly when dealing with smaller amounts closer to end user levels e.g. "8-ball" an 8th of an ounce or 3.5 g; cannabis is often traded in ounces ("oz") and pounds ("p")[citation needed]
- Firearm barrel length are almost always referred by in inches, ammunition is also still measured in grains and ounces as well as grams.
As a result of cultural transmission of British and American English in Australia, there has also been noted to be a cause for residual use of imperial units of measure.
New Zealand
New Zealand introduced the metric system on 15 December 1976.[69] Aviation was exempt, with altitude and airport elevation continuing to be measured in feet whilst navigation is done in nautical miles; all other aspects (fuel quantity, aircraft weight, runway length, etc.) use metric units.
Screen sizes for devices such as televisions, monitors and phones, and wheel rim sizes for vehicles, are stated in inches, as is the convention in the rest of the world - and a 1992 study found a continued use of imperial units for birth weight and human height alongside metric units.[70]
Ireland
Ireland has officially changed over to the metric system since entering the European Union, with distances on new road signs being metric since 1997 and speed limits being metric since 2005. The imperial system remains in limited use – for sales of beer in pubs (traditionally sold by the pint). All other goods are required by law to be sold in metric units with traditional quantities being retained for goods like butter and sausages, which are sold in 454 grams (1 lb) packaging. The majority of cars sold pre-2005 feature speedometers with miles per hour as the primary unit, but with a kilometres per hour display. Often signs such as those for bridge height can display both metric and imperial units. Imperial measurements continue to be used colloquially by the general population especially with height and distance measurements such as feet, inches, and acres as well as for weight with pounds and stones still in common use among people of all ages. Measurements such as yards have fallen out of favour with younger generations. Ireland's railways still use imperial measurements for distances and speed signage.[71][72] Property is usually listed in square feet as well as metres also.
Horse racing in Ireland still continues to use stones, pounds, miles and furlongs as measurements.[73]
Bahamas
Imperial measurements remain in general use in the
Legally, both the imperial and metric systems are recognised by the Weights and Measures Act 2006.[74]
Belize
Both imperial units and metric units are used in Belize. Both systems are legally recognized by the National Metrology Act.[75]
Myanmar
According to the CIA, in June 2009, Myanmar was one of three countries that had not adopted the
Other countries
Some imperial measurements remain in limited use in Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Measurements in feet and inches, especially for a person's height, are frequently encountered in conversation and non-governmental publications.
Prior to metrication, it was a common practice in Malaysia for people to refer to unnamed locations and small settlements along major roads by referring to how many miles the said locations were from the nearest major town. In some cases, these eventually became the official names of the locations; in other cases, such names have been largely or completely superseded by new names. An example of the former is Batu 32 (literally "Mile 32" in Malay), which refers to the area surrounding the intersection between Federal Route 22 (the Tamparuli-Sandakan highway) and Federal Route 13 (the Sandakan-Tawau highway). The area is so named because it is 32 miles west of Sandakan, the nearest major town.
Petrol is still sold by the imperial gallon in
In October 2011, the Antigua and Barbuda government announced the re-launch of the Metrication Programme in accordance with the Metrology Act 2007, which established the International System of Units as the legal system of units. The Antigua and Barbuda government has committed to a full conversion from the imperial system by the first quarter of 2015.[84]
See also
- Acre-foot
- Board foot
- Comparison of the imperial and US customary measurement systems
- Conversion of units
- Cooking weights and measures
- Cord (volume)
- History of measurement
- Metrication
- Systems of measurement
- Unit of measurement
- £sd (L.s.d.)
Explanatory notes
- ^ 10 pounds = 4535.9237 grams. @ 0.998859 g/mL => 4546.092 mL
- ^ References for the Table of British apothecaries' volume units: Unit column;[24][25]: C-7 [26] Symbols & abbreviations column;[22][23][24][25]: C-5, C-17–C-18 [26][27][28] Relative to previous column;[24][25]: C-7 Exact metric value column – fluid ounce, pint and gallon,[29] all other values calculated using value for fluid ounce and the Relative to previous column's values.
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General sources
- Appendices B and C of NIST Handbook 44
- Thompson, A.; Taylor, Barry N. (5 October 2010). "The NIST guide for the use of the international system of units". NIST. Archived from the original on 16 February 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2012. Also available as a PDF file.
- 6 George IV chapter 12, 1825 (statute)
External links
- British Weights And Measures Association
- Canada Weights and Measures Act 1970-71-72
- General table of units of measure – NIST – pdf
- How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement Archived 10 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- Statutory Instrument 1995 No. 1804 Units of Measurement Regulations 1995