Weights and Measures - Metric Conversion

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A DICTIONARY OF
WEIGHTS, MEASURES
AND UNITS

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WEIGHTS & MEASURES

The next time your friend Jacques takes you for a ride in his Citroën deux-chevaux , careening down a narrow, tree-lined French country road, passing and darting in front of other cars with centimeters to spare before oncoming traffic speeds by, perhaps you'll be grateful to know that: (1.) Any speed seems faster in a deux-chevaux, (2.) Europeans have always been more in tune with the tolerances of their vehicles than Americans, and (3.) The 100 kilometers per hour you see on his speedometer is really only 60 miles per hour. Phew! (It's also reassuring that this classic vehicle can stop on a dime.)

That said, you will no doubt find it practical, from time to time, to convert weights and measures between the Imperial and the Metric systems. If you're using a pocket calculator, the tables below will give you the basics — but our nifty JavaScript calculators will perform the conversions directly in your browser in real time! Try them out. Not that the average tourist will need to convert metric horsepower to megajoules everyday, but many of these can be truly useful. Let us know what you think!

If you plan to shop for clothes or shoes, you will find the sizing standards different in the U.S., U.K. and the continent. Consult our sizing chart before you shop (or print out this page and take it with you), to be sure of getting it right!

Metric Conversions
LIQUID VOLUME
To convert	Multiply by
U.S. gallons to liters	3.8
Liters to U.S. gallons	.26
U.S. gallons to Imperial gallons	.83
Imperial gallons to U.S. gallons	1.20
Imperial gallons to liters	4.55
1 liter = .26 gal. or 1.8 pints; 1 gal. = 3.8 liters

DISTANCE
To convert	Multiply by
Inches to centimeters	2.54
Centimeters to inches	.39
Feet to meters	.30
Meters to feet	3.28
Yards to meters	.91
Meters to yards	1.09
Miles to kilometers	1.61
Kilometers to miles	.62
1 mile = 1.6km; 1km = .62 mile; 1 ft. = .30m or 30cm; 1m = 3.3 ft.; 1 inch = 2.54 cm

WEIGHT
To convert	Multiply by
Ounces to grams	28.35
Grams to ounces	.035
Pounds to kilograms	.45
Kilograms to pounds	2.20
1 oz. = 28g; 1g = .04 oz.; 1 lb. = .45kg; 1kg = 2.2 lb.

TEMPERATURE
To convert °F to °C, subtract 32 and multiply by 5/9 (.555)
To convert °C to °F, multiply by 1.8 and add 32.

Clothing Size Conversion
WOMEN'S CLOTHING
American	6	8	10	12	14	16
Continental	36	38	40	42	44	46
British	8	10	12	14	16	18

WOMEN'S SHOES
American	5	6	7	8	9	10
Continental	36	37	38	39	40	41
British	4	5	6	7	8	9

CHILDREN'S CLOTHING
American	3	4	5	6	6X
Continental	98	104	110	116	122
British	18	20	22	24	26

CHILDREN'S SHOES
American	8	9	10	11	12	13	1	2	3
Continental	24	25	27	28	29	30	32	33	34
British	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	1	2

MEN'S SUITS
American	34	36	38	40	42	44	46	48
Continental	44	46	48	50	52	54	56	58
British	34	36	38	40	42	44	46	48

MEN'S SHIRTS
American	14½	15	15½	16	16½	17	17½	18
Continental	37	38	39	41	42	43	44	45
British	14½	15	15½	16	16½	17	17½	18

MEN'S SHOES
American	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
Continental	39½	41	42	43	44½	46	47
British	6	7	8	9	10	11	12

Conversion Calculators

Alcohol Equivalents
The standard units of alcoholic drinks vary in various parts of the world. Compare units for 16 different countries.

Area Equivalents
Perform area conversions, such as square yards to square meters, square miles to square kilometers, acres to hectares, etc.

Currency Converter
Find today's exchange rates between dollars, pounds, euro and many other national currencies.

Density Equivalents
Perform density conversions, such as pounds/cu. in., tons/cu. yard, pounds/gallon, kg/litre, kg/cubic meter, etc.

Energy Equivalents
Perform energy unit conversions, such as joules to kilowatt hours, foot pounds to kilogram meters, BTUs to K-cals, etc.

Force Equivalents
Compare units of force, such as ounces, pounds, tons (U.K. & U.S.), dynes, newtons, grams, kilograms, etc.

Fuel Consumption Equivalents
Compare fuel efficiency, such as miles/gallon, miles/liter, km/liter, km/gallon, gallons/100 miles, liters/100 km, etc.

Length & Distance Equivalents
Convert length and distance units, such as inches to centimeters, yards to meters, miles to kilometers, etc.

Mass & Weight Equivalents
Convert between kilograms, grams, grains, troy/avoirdupois ounces, pounds, stones, short/ long/ metric tons, etc.

Power Equivalents
Perform conversions between electric & metric horsepower, kilowatts, gigawatts, megajoules/hr, kg-m/sec, ft-lb/sec, Kcal/sec, BTU/hr, etc.

Pressure Equivalents
Calculate kg/sq cm, lb/sq in, millibars, atmospheres, inches of mercury, feet of water, pascals, newtons/sq cm, tons/sq m, etc.

Temperature Equivalents
Convert between Centigrade/Celsius, Fahrenheit, Kelvin, Rankine, and Réaumur temperature readings.

Velocity Equivalents
Perform conversions between cm/sec, meters/sec, meters/min, kilometers/hr, feet/sec, feet/min, miles/hr, knots, Mach, etc.

Volume Equivalents
Perform conversions between cubic feet, cubic yards, cubic meters, fluid ounces, pints, gallons, liters, barrels, bushels, etc.

Miscellaneous Links

Specialist Calculators

Dictionary of Units

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