NBS

PUBLICATIONS

)

U.S. Department of Comme

National Bureau of Standard

Wasliington, D.C. 2023

Special Publication 430

(Supersedes Misc. Publ. 234) i

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1'^^''' °^ STAND & TECH

A11107 5t,M3L5

) Household Weights

And Measures

The purpose of this card is to present in convenient form the

weights and measures tables most useful for household purposes, together with associated weights and measures information of general household interest. It also introduces basic

metric information for consumer use. Advice to the Consumer

• Buy solid commodities by weight, rather than by count,

whenever possible.

• Learn the unit price (price per pound, per quart, etc.) of

what you buy.

• Learn to read scale and meter indications, and observe the

weighing and measuring of your purchases.

• On unit priced items, check your purchases to make sure

that you are paying the correct price for the quantity

received.

• Mere package size may be deceptive. Read and compare

labeled quantities in relation to price.

Prepared by National Bureau of

Standards In cooperation with

National Conference on Weights

and Measures

Keprinl March 1978

NBS

RESEARCH

Demand accurate weight and measure in your purchases

just as you demand accurate change from the cashier.

Some stores provide scales on which you can check the

weights of your purchases. Use them!

Become acquainted with your local or State weights and

measures official, and consult him if in doubt on any

weights and measures matters. Report suspected inaccuracies or violations of the weights

and measures laws and regulations to your weights and

measures official.

Equivalents of the Common Capacity Units Used In the Kitchen

Units

TeaspoonfulsTablespoonfuls

Fluid ounces CupfulsLiquid

pints

Liquid

quarts

Milliliters Liters Units

1 teaspoonful equals 1 1/3 1/6 * * * 5

* Equals 1 teaspoonful

1 tablespoonful equals 3 1 1/2 1/16 1/32 * 15 * Equals 1 tablespoonful

1 fluid ounce equals 6 2 1 1/8 1/16 1/32 30 * Equals 1 fluid ounce

1 cupful equals 48 16 8 1 1/2 1/4 240** 0.24** Equals 1 cupful

1 liquid pint equals * * 16 2 1 1/2 470** 0.47** Equals 1 liquid pint

1 liquid quart equals * * 32 4 2 1 950** 0.95** Equals 1 liquid quart

1 milliliter equals 1/5 * * * * *

1 1/1000 Equals 1 milliliter

1 liter equals * * 34 4.2 2.1 1.06 1000 1 Equals 1 liter

* Equivalent not commonly used. Approximate.

Approximate Weights of Some Commodities in Avoirdupois Ounces Per Cup

Beans (dry) 6 1/2

Butter, margarine, cooking oils 8

Citrus fruit juice (fresh) 8 1/2

Cornflakes 1 Corn meal 5 Eggs (whole) 8 1/2

Flour (wheat, all-purpose, sifted) 4

Flour (cake, sifted) 3 1/2

Milk (whole, fluid) 8 1/2

Milk (dry) 4 1/2 Nutmeats (pecan) 4 Oatmeal 3 Pancake mix S Prunes (dried) 5 1/2

Raisins (seedless) S Rice 7 Shortening (vegetable) 7 Sugar (brown, moist, firmly packed) 7 1/2

Sugar (granulated) 7 Water 8 1/3

Metric System

The metric system is simple to learn. For use in your everyday life you will need to learn about ten new units. You will

also need to get used to a few new temperatures. There are even some metric units with which you are already familiar:

"e for time and electricity are the same as you use now.

ie basic units of the metric system are the meter, which

unit of length, the gram, which is a unit of weight, and

liter, which is a unit of capacity or volume.

ther units in the metric system are the decimal subdivis and multiples of the basic units, named by combining

proper prefix with the name of the basic unit to form

defining terms. The prefixes commonly used are "milli-,"

^30

meaning the one-thousandth part; "centi-," meaning the

one-hundredth part; and "kilo-," meaning one thousand

times. For example, "milliliter" means the one-thousand part

of a liter, "centimeter" means the one-hundredth part of a meter, and "kilogram" means 1000 grams.

This feature makes the metric system a "decimal" system

like our monetary and numeration systems—and thus a much

easier system to learn and use. You can even make comparisons with our monetary system that will help you to remember the metric prefixes. There are 10 mills in a cent, 10 millimeters in a centimeter. There are 100 cents in a dollar, 100

centimeters in a meter.
The Metric System in the Kitchen

Although there may be concern about the effect of metric on cooking, you really will have little to worry about provided we change to metric in a sensible way.

There will be no need for much change in our recipes if the new metric recipes remain volumetric and if, as anticipated, the measuring utensils retain approximately the same

ratio as the customary cup (237 mL), teaspoon (4.9 mL), and

tablespoon (14.8 mL). This is easily achieved by adopting a "metric cup" of 250 mL (V4 of a liter); a "metric teaspoon"

of 5 mL and a "metric tablespoon" of 15 mL. Of course,

amounts such as "a pinch" and "2 eggs" will remain the

same, although weights such as the amount of meat will be

expressed in kilograms (1 kg equals 2.2 pounds).

Under this type of changeover to metric in recipes, either

customary or metric measuring utensils can be used for any

recipe with the same results being obtained, except for slight

variations in quantity, as long as the same system is used for

the entire recipe. For example, a "customary" recipe made by

using a "metric cup" would yield only about 5 percent more

quantity. And your favorite cookbooks will continue to be

useful forever!

Everyday Metric Units

BASIC UNITS

METER: a little longer than a yard (about 1.1 yards)

LITER: a little larger than a quart (about 1.06 quarts)

CRAM: about the weight of a dollar bill TEMPERATURE

degrees Celsius are used

-40 -20 20 37 t

F h h H—

OTHER COMMONLY USED UNITS

millimeter: 0.001 meter diameter of paper clip wire

centimeter: 0.01 meter a little more than the width of a paper clip (about 0.4 inch)

kilometer: 1000 meters somewhat further than V2 mile

(about 0.6 mile)

kilogram: 1000 grams a little more than 2 pounds (about

2.2 pounds)

milliliter: 0.001 liter five of them make a teaspoon

-40 0 32

water freezes

80 98^

body temperature

160 212

water boils

Symbols: meter m

liter L gram g

millimeter

centimeter

kilometer

mm

cm

km

kilogram kg

milliliter mL

What Will the Metric System Mean in the Marketplace?

When metric measures become commonplace, one of the

first things you will notice as you shop will be the new words

for weight, volume and length on packaged goods.

long familiarity with the customary system has made it useable.

Currently, in packaged foods the number of different types

of measurement you encounter in one day's shopping is bewildering. Some weights are expressed in avoirdupois ounces and pounds; fluid measures are expressed in gallons,

liquid quarts, pints, and fluid ounces; and dry measures are expressed in bushels, pecks, dry quarts, and pints. A dry

quart is 16 percent larger in volume than a liquid quart. By

contrast, the metric system has one unit for liquid volume:

the liter, or some decimal fraction or multiple thereof (e.g.,

the milliliter sometimes called cubic centimeter). Only our

Useful Measurement Equivalents

Customary

Length:

in the marketplace, you will buy meat by the kilogram

instead of the pound; candy or cheese by the gram instead

of the ounce. Rugs and fabrics will be sold by the meter

rather than the yard: a 9-x 12-foot carpet will be replaced

by a 3-x 4-meter carpet. For smaller dimensions, the centimeter will replace the inch and the foot; a 21-inch lawnmower will become a 53-centimeter lawnmower. Milk will

be sold by the liter rather than the quart. Gasoline will be

sold by the liter, although you will still be able to order it by the tankful!

Metric

Area:

Volume:

Weight

(Mass):

1 foot

1 yard

1 (statute) mile

1 square foot

1 square yard

1 acre

1 square mile

1 cubic foot

1 cubic yard

1 quart (liquid)

1 peck

1 bushel

1 quart (liquid)

1 quart (liquid, U.S.)

pound

ton

1 long ton

12 inches

3 feet = 36 inches

5280 feet = 1760 yards

144 square inches

9 square feet

43 560 square feet

640 acres

1728 cubic inches

27 cubic feet

2 pints = 32 fluid ounces

8 quarts

4 pecks = 32 quarts

0.86 quart (dry)

0.83 Imperial Quart

16 ounces 2000 pounds

2240 pounds

100 centimeters

1000 meters

10 000 square centimeters

10 000 square meters

1 000 000 cubic centimeters

1000 milliliters

1 milliliter

1000 grams

1000 kilograms

1 meter

1 kilometer

1 square meter

1 hectare

1 cubic meter

1 liter

1 cubic centimeter

1 kilogram

1 metric ton

For more information on weights and measures matters, contact your local or state weights and measures office, or write to:

Office of Weights and Measures

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D.C. 20234

For more information about the metric system, write to:

Metric Information

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D.C. 20234

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government

Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 (Order by SD Catalog No. 0 13.10:430). Price 50 cents. Stocl< Number 003-003-01 542-3.

ir U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1975 O—595-954