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COM(79)89
Vol.1979/0028

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(79)89 final
Brussels -27february 1979
Proposal foranew
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE (EEC)
ontheapproximation ofthelawsoftheMemberStatesrelating tounits
ofmeasurement andrepealing CouncilDirective of18October 1971
(71/354/EEC)asmodified sincethen.
(submitted totheCouncil bytheCommission )
C0M(79)o9 final

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
I.INTRODUCTION
This Council Directive isbased onArticle 100oftheTreaty establishing the
European Economic Community andfalls within thecontext oftheCouncil
Directive of26July 1971 ontheapproximation ofthelaws oftheMember
States relating tocommon provisions forboth measuring instruments and
methods ofmetrological control (71/316/EEC ),andmore particularly within the
field oftheCouncil Directive of19October 1971 ontheapproximation ofthe
laws oftheMember States relating tounits ofmeasurement (71/354/78),as
last amended bytheCouncil Directive of27July 1976 (76/770/EEC ).
Theprincipal aims ofthis Directive aretoremove barriers tointra-Community
trade which still exist where theuseofunits ofmeasurement isgoverned by
legislation inMember States and ,atthesame time ,topromote theuseofa
single system ofunits ofmeasurement throughout theCommunity .
Such action atCommunity level isdesirable since theconcrete result would
betodoaway with allconversion operations which still have tobeeffected
between thedifferent systems ofunits ofmeasurement .Theconsumer 'slife is
made much easier when theinformation supplied tohimisfurnished inaccordance
with asingle system ,thus enabling himtomake proper comparisons between
different sets ofdata .Foreconomic operators andforgovernment authorities ,
theuseofasingle system ofunits ofmeasurement makes forsubstantial savings
andforbetter understanding byallconcerned ,thus reducing thepossibility
oferrors .
AllCommunity provisions relating tounits ofmeasurement have been incor­
porated inthis Directive sothat thepreceding Directive cansimply be
repealed .Thus ,once this Directive hasbeen adopted itwill nolonger be
necessary torefer toscattered texts .

-2-
II.BACKGROUND
On18October 1971 theCouncil adopted thefirst Community Directive onthe
use ofunits ofmeasurement intheCommunity (71/354/EEC ).This text is
based ontwomutually complementary principles :thedesirability ofimposing
asquickly aspossible theuseofasingle system ofunits ofmeasurement ;
thedesirability ofprohibiting asquickly aspossible theuseofanyunit
which does notform part ofthesystem chosen .
There wasnever anyquestion oftheCommunity 'sinventing itsownsystem of
units ofmeasurement .Directive 71/354/EEClays down definitively theuseof
asystem ofunits comprising the international system ofunits (theso-called
SIsystem ,adopted bytheGeneral Conference ofWeights andMeasures (CGPM )
setupbytheInternational Metre Convention signed inParis on20May 1875 ,
towhich allMember States oftheCommunity arecontracting parties ),together
with certain units which areused with theinternational system .
This system ofunits ofmeasurement isrecognized almost throughout the
world ,andwhere aState nowwishes toimpose theuseofasingle system in
itsterritory itisthe SIsystem that ischosen .Hence theCommunity is
demonstrating itswill tofollow upatEuropean level thework which has
been carried out atinternational level inamuch wider context .
Itisnotreasonable tosuppose that agiven system ofunits canbeimposed
overnight orthat theuseofatraditional system ofunits which isfirmly
rooted inthecustoms ofacountry canbeproscribed .That iswhy ,even in
the first Directive ,theCouncil provided fortransitional periods both for
theimposition ofthesystem ofunits ultimately tobeused (this transitional
period ended on21April 1978 forallMentoer States )andforthephasing-out
ofthevarious units ofmeasurement that donot appear inthis system .In
thelatter case ,thetransitional periods vary according totheunits of
measurement inquestion .Some ofthese units ofmeasurement presented such
difficulties that thedecision astothedate when they should disappear
was postponed .

-3-
When theCommunity wasenlarged in1973,account had tobetaken ofthevery
special problem oftheImperial system ofunits .Since none oftheoriginal
sixMember States used Imperial units aslegal units ofmeasurement ,their
existence hadbeen totally ignored inDirective 71/354/EEC .On1January 1973 ,
however ,theCommunity suddenly found itself faced with twoMember States in
which theuse oftheImperial units ofmeasurement wasmandatory .Itwasthere­
fore necessary toadopt appropriate provisions intheActs relating to
accession .
Thus under theterms oftheActs ofAccession theDirective acquired an
Annex IIcomprising alist ofImperial units which were tobedealt with in
thecontext oftheCommunity provisions .Aparagraph 4concerning these units
was likewise added toArticle 1ofthe Directive :"The classification in
Annex Iofthe units ofmeasurement listed inAnnex IIshall bedecided on
31August 1976 atthelatest .Theunits ofmeasurement concerning which no
decision hasbeen made on31August 1976 atthe latest shall disappear on
31December 1979 atthelatest .Anappropriate extension ofthis time limit
maybedecided forcertain ofthese units ofmeasurement ifitshould be
justified forspecial reasons ."
The Act ofAccession totheCommunities consequently did notalter the
positions ofprinciple previously adopted inDirective 71/354/EEC .Onthe
contrary ,enlargement confirmed these principles tosome extent with regard
totheImperial system .Itisperhaps worth pointing out that there was no
need tonegotiate theactual principle oftheadoption ofthe SIsystem with
theacceding countries ,since they hadshown themselves tobeinfavour of
theeventual adoption ofthe SIsystem throughout theCommunity astheonly
legal system ofmeasurements .(TheUnited Kingdom ,forexample ,haddecided
toadopt this system well before itsaccession totheCommunities .)
After enlargement ,therefore ,there were certain decisions regarding Imperial
units ofmeasurement which had tobetaken before 31August 1976 ifthese
units were not todisappear automatically on31December 1979 .Itwas also
necessary tore-examine before 31December 1977 the fate oftheunits of
measurement referred toinChapter IIofDirective 71/354/EEC andtoascertain
whether certain units mentioned inChapter IIIcould notbemade todisappear
before 1December 1979 .

-4-
TheCommission presented theCouncil with asingle proposal foramendment in
order tosettle allthese questions andtheCouncil adopted this amendment
on27July 1976 (76/770/EEC ).Thebasic principles remained unchanged .The
SIsystem wasstill theonly system that would beauthorized inthelong term .
Itissetout inChapter AofDirective 76/770/EEC .This chapter includes
some up-dated points inaccordance with developments atinternational level
with respect toChapter IofDirective 71/354/EEC .The units ofmeasurement
notdefinitively adopted must eventually disappear ,but thetimetable for
their disappearance hasbeen slightly changed andisbroken down according
tothree categories :
(a)theunits which must disappear by31December 1977 (Chapter B);
(b)theunits which must disappear by31December 1979 (Chapter C);
(c)those units which must disappear andthedate ofwhose disappearance has
tobedecided before 31December 1979 (Chapter D).Itdidnotappear
advisable in1977 totake afinal decision onthese units .
III .THE PRESENT PROPOSAL FOR ADIRECTIVE
This Directive pursues thesame aims asthepreceding one and isbased onthe
same principles .Itslay-out isalittle different because ,forthefirst
time ,theconcept of "legal units ofmeasurement "hasbeen introduced at
Community level .This isnowpossible because the SIunits ofmeasurement ,
together with certain units which areused with this system ,have been legal
units ofmeasurement throughout theCommunity since 21April 1978 .Anyreference
tounits ofmeasurement ,andparticularly totherequirements regarding their
use ,therefore becomes much more straightforward because infuture itwill
suffice torefer merely tothelegal units ofmeasurement .
TheAnnex issetout inthesame way asbefore .Chapter Ilists thelegal
units ofmeasurement which have been definitively adopted andChapters II
and IIIsetout theunits ofmeasurement which arestill legally authorized
under certain specific conditions anduntil thedates laid down inArticle 1.

-5-
Chapter Ihasundergone hardly anysubstantial amendments since theadoption
ofDirective 76/770/EEC .The fewchanges which have been made merely reflect
thedevelopments that have taken place atinternational level asregards
units ofmeasurement ,more particularly asaresult ofthework oftheGeneral
Conference onWeights andMeasures .Themost significant addition istheadop­
tion ofthenewderived unit ,thesievert ,toexpress theequivalent absorbed
dose ofionizing radiation .This wasproposed bytheInternational Committee
ofWeights andMeasures foradoption bythenext General Conference onWeights
andMeasures ,which will beheld in1979 .TheCouncil will therefore beable
toact inthe full knowledge offacts .
Article 1(b )lays down that theunits ofmeasurement ,names andsymbols which
appear inChapter IIoftheAnnex may remain legal inthevarious Member
States until 31December 1985 .Member States may ,however ,cease torecognize
their legal character before that date ifthey sodesire ,subject tothe
provisions ofArticle 3ofthis Directive .Asregards radiological units of
measurement ,theCommission hasheeded theresolutions oftheinternational
organization which ismost competent inthefield ofradiology .TheWorld
Health Organization hasexpressed awish tohave themillimeter ofmercury
retained for afurther period asanauthorized unit ofmeasurement inorder
tohelp themedical profession toadapt smoothly toSIunits .This unit ,
which was tohave disappeared by31December 1979 atthelatest ,inaccordance
with Directive 76/770/EEC ,istherefore retained inChapter II.
Chapter IIIoftheAnnex isreserved more particularly forcertain Imperial
units ofmeasurement which aremost commonly used andtherefore die the
hardest .All these units arelisted inChapter DoftheAnnex tothepreceding
Directive ,indicating that ithadnotbeen possible totake adecision asto
thedate when they should cease tobeused .Thepresent Directive provides
that thefinal date shall besetbytheCouncil .Indeed theCommission did
notwant ,ofitsowninitiative ,toimpose aprecise date onthose Member
States where theuseofthese units ofmeasurement remains very generalized
andwhich are inabetter position tosetthis Limit taking into account the
economic andsocial consequences ofthis decision .

-6-
For thepurposes ofthis Directive ,these units ofmeasurement canonly be
legal units ofmeasurement intheMember States inwhich their usewas author­
ized on21April 1973 .This clause was already contained inDirective
76/770/EEC .Inaccordance with theprovisions ofArticle 1(c )andArticle 3,
Member States which did notauthorize these units on21April 1973 must allow
these units toappear asasecondary indication until 31December 1989 at
the latest .
Article 2ofthis Directive rerpoduces intheir entirety theprovisions of
Articles 2and 3ofDirective 71/354/EEC .Thescope hasthus remained un­
changed .Hence Community provisions continue toaim attheuse ofunits of
measurement forindications appearing onmeasuring instruments andfor the
expression oftheresults ofmeasurements performed bysuch instruments ,the
useofunits ofmeasurement inanyoperation where itisnecessary tomeasure
aparticular dimension andtheir usewhenever itisnecessary toexpress the
magnitude ofdimension .These various uses arehighly specific andmust be
interpreted very restrictively (stricto sensu ).Allthese uses provided for
inArticle 2(a )must berelated tothefields covered bytheDirective and
laid down inArticle 2(a),that istosay totheeconomic field ,tooperations
ofanadministrative nature and tothe fields ofhealth andpublic safety .
The terms denoting the fields ofapplication ofthis Directive have been
deliberately chosen because they encompass very broad concepts ,andthis is
wholly inaccordance with theaims oftheDirective .
Itwas ,however ,necessary ,toprovide forvarious exceptions tothe
applications ofArticle 2(a).
The first major exception concerns thefield ofinternational transport ,
where traditionally there have been many international agreements .TheMember
States andtheCommunity areobliged torespect these international agree­
ments ,which frequently employ units ofmeasuement other than thelegally
recognized ones .Inthis area ,theCommunity cannot take adecision inde­
pendently oftheother signatories tosuch agreements .

-7-
Spare parts cause problems ofquite adifferent nature .Very often spare parts
bear dimension indications inorder toshow onwhat products andequipments -
which have been onthemarket and inuse forlong periods already -they can
befitted .Frequently these scare parts have tobespecially manufactured .
Inthese cases ,iftheparts have tobemounted onproducts orequipments
which were designed innon-SIunits ,thespare parts must likewise beso
designed .Inorder toenable these products andequipments toremain inuse ,
itwas necessary toprovide for aderogation from theprovisions ofArticle
2(a).This isthepurpose ofArticle 4.
Article 5provides for avery special exception inthecase ofrepresentations
ofSIandother units tobeused indata-processing systems involving limited
sets ofcharacters .Since theproblem had already been settled atinternational
level ,astraightforward reference totheresults ofthework ofthe Inter­
national Standards Organization (ISO),through adated reference toISO
standard 2955 of1March 1974 ,seemed tobethemost appropriate solution at
Community level .
This directive differs widely from theearlier one asregards double indication .
Directive 71/354/EEC asamended byDirective 76/770/EEC ,didnotmake special
provisions inthis respect .However ,practical experience hasshown that it
isunrealistic toexpect that units ofmeasurement which have been inuse for
avery long time andwhich inmany cases have become part ofthetraditions
ofacountry canbedohe away with overnight without atransitional period .
What ismore ,experience has shown that amere transitional period without
anyprovision for special arrangements isinsufficient toovercome the
difficulties .
Consequently ,this Directive provides notonly fortransitional periods in
respect oftheunits ofmeasurement appearing inChapters IIand IIItothe
Annex ,but also fordouble indication during afixed period specified in
Article 1.

-8-
Inorder tobeuseful andeffective ,theprovisions regarding double indication
have tobeclear andeasy toapply .Hence thedefinition given inArticle 3
isvery simple :double indication isused where aunit ofmeasurement which
does notappear inChapter IoftheAnnex accompanies aunit from Chapter I.
Bywayofexplanation ,therefore ,aunit from Chapter IoftheAnnex maybe
accompanied byanyother unit ofmeasurement which does notappear inthat
same Chapter I.Thesecond unit ofmeasurement need noteven appear inthe
Annex tothis Directive .
Double indication inthis form maybevised until 31December 1985 .This time
limit isextended until 31December 1989 inthecase ofImperial units of
measurement appearing inChapter IIItotheAnnex .
The useofthedouble indication system isasfollows :Member States must
authorize orallow double indication onproducts andequipment until
31December 1985 .For theunits listed inChapter III ,thetime limit is
fixed at31December 1989 .This obligation istosome extent anobligation
toensure free movement (Article 3(c)). Inall cases which are not referred
toinArticle 3(c )and (d),Member States arefree toauthorize orprohibit
double indication intheir territory .
Theobligation toallow double indication does notapply tomeasuring in­
struments .Itdoes notseem essential torequire Member States toaccept on
their territory measuring instruments which bear adouble indication ,since
inmany cases Member States have already adopted rules prohibiting the
appearance onmeasuring instruments ofanyunit ofmeasurement which isnot
alegal unit ofmeasurement ,often forsafety reasons .
Since theaimofthis Directive isprecisely toensure that measuring in­
struments bear dimension indications solely inlegal units ofmeasurement
which have been definitively adopted ,itseems desirable nottogoagainst
national rules .Thus Member States arefree torequire that measuring in­
struments bear dimension indications inasingle legal -unit ofmeasurement .

-9-
Hielast paragraph ofArticle 3lays down thepractical Conditions under
which double indication canbeused .Therule isthat theChapter Iunits of
measurement should beinscribed more conspicuously soastoavoid anypossible
confusion .
IV.HARMONIZATION
This Directive ,like theearlier ones ,hasadopted thesolution of"total "
harmonization .Since thevery purpose oftheDirective istoimpose ,wherever
possible ,theuseofasingle system oflegal units ofmeasurement throughout
theCommunity ,total harmonization isthemost efficient means ofachieving
this .Thus ,ontheexpiry ofthetransitional periods provided forin
Article 1,only theunits ofmeasurement appearing inChapter IoftheAnnex
maybeused intheCommunity .
V.CONSULTATION OFPARLIAMENT AND THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE
Under
these
will ,thesecond paragraph ofArticle 100oftheEECTreaty theopinion of
twobodies isrequired .Implementation oftheprovisions oftheDirectiv
insome Mentoer States ,necessitate anamendment oflegislation .

THECOUNCIL OPTHEEUROFEAN COMMUNITIES .
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing theEuropean Economic Community ,
andinparticular Article100thereof,
HavingregardtoCouncilDirective 71/354/EECof18October1971onthe
approximation ofthelawsoftheMemberStatesrelatingtounitsof
measurement (l),aslastamendedbyCouncilDirective 76/770/EECof
27July1976(2),
Havingregardtotheproposal fromtheCommission ,
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEuropean Parliament ,
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEconomic andSocialCommittee ,
Whereasunitsofmeasurement areessential intheuseofallmeasuring
instruments ,toexpressmeasurements oranyindication ofquantity ;
whereasitisnecessary toensurethegreatest possibleclarityintheir
use;whereasitistherefore necessary tomakerulesfortheirusefor
economic ,publichealth,publicsafetyoradministrative purposes ;
Whereas,however ,international conventions oragreements existinthe
fieldofinternational transport whichbindtheCommunity ortheMember
States;whereastheseconventions oragreements havetoberespected ;
Whereasthelawswhichregulate theuseofunitsofmeasurement inthe
MemberStatesdifferfromoneMemberStatetoanother andasaresulthinder
trade;whereas,inthesecircumstances ,itisnecessary toharmonise laws,
regulations andadministrative provisions inordertoovercomethese
obstacles ;
(1)O.J.N°L243of29October1971,p.29
(2)O.J.N°L262of27September 1976,p.204

-2-
Whereasunitsofmeasurement arethesubjectofinternational resolutions
adopted "bytheGeneralConference ofWeightsandMeasures (CGRVl)setupby
theMetreConvention signedinParison20May1875»"towhichallthe
MemberStatesareparty;whereasthe"International SystemofUnits"(S.I.)
wasdrawnupasaresultoftheseresolutions ;
WhereastheCounciladoptedDirective 71/354/EECon18October1971onthe
approximation ofthelawsoftheMemberStatesinordertoovercomeobstacles
totradebyadoptingtheinternational systemofunitsatCommunity level;
whereasDirective 71/354/EECwasamendedbytheActofAccession andby
CouncilDirective 76/770/EEC;whereastheseCommunity provisions havenot
overcomealltheobstacles inthisfield;whereasDirective 76/770/EEC
providesforthereviewbefore31December 1979ofthesituation regarding
unitsofmeasurement ,namesandsymbolslistedinChapter DoftheAnnex;
whereasithasalsoprovednecessary toreviewthesituation regarding
variousotherunitsofmeasurement ;
Whereasitisnecessary ,inordertoavoidseriousdifficulties ,
toprovideforatransitional periodduringwhichunitsofmeasurement which
arenotcompatible withtheinternational systemcanbephasedout;whereas
itisnevertheless essential toallowtheMemberStateswishingtodoso
tobringintoforceasquicklyaspossible ,ontheirterritory ,the
provisions ofChapterIoftheAnnex;whereasitistherefore necessary to
setalimitatCommunity levelontheduration ofthistransitional period
while,atthesametime,leavingtheMemberStatesfreetocurtailthat
period;
Whereasduringthetransitional perioditisessential,particularly for
theprotection oftheconsumer,tomaintain aclearposition ontheuseof
unitsofmeasurement intradebetweentheMemberStates;whereasthe
obligation ontheMemberStatestoallowdoubleindication onproducts
andequipment imported fromotherMemberStatesduringthistransitional
periodseemstoservethispurposewell;
Whereasthesystematic adoption ofasolution ofthiskindforallmeasuring
instruments ,including medicalinstruments ,ishowevernotnecessarily
desirable ;whereastheMemberStatesshouldtherefore beabletorequire
that,ontheirterritory ,measuring instruments bearindications ofquantity
inonesinglelegalunitofmeasurement ;

-3-
WhereasthisDirective doesnotaffectthecontinued manufacture of
productsalready onthemarket;whereasitdoes,however,affectthe
placing onthemarketanduseofproducts andequipment "bearingindications
ofquantity inunitsofmeasurement whicharenolongerlegalunitsof
measurement ,whensuchproducts andequipment arenecessary tosupplement
orreplacecomponents orpartsofsuchproducts ,equipment andinstruments
already onthemarket;whereasitistherefore necessary forMemberStates
toauthorize theplacing onthemarketandtheuseofsuchproducts and
equipment tocomplete andreplacecomponents ,evenwhentheybearindications
ofquantityinunitsofmeasurement whicharenolongerlegal,sothatthe
products ,equipment orinstruments already onthemarketmaycontinueto
beused;
WhereastheInternational Organization forStandardization (ISO)adopted
aninternational standard on1March1974ontherepresentation ofS.I.and
otherunitsforuseinsystemswithlimitedsetsofsymbols ;whereasitis
therefore advisable fortheCommunity toadoptsolutions whichhavealready
beenapproved onawiderinternational level;whereasthestrictreference
tothestandard makesitpossibletoadopttheISOStandard 2955of
1March1974atCommunity level;
Whereas Community provisions relatingtounitsofmeasurement aretobe
foundinvariousseparate Community acts;whereasthequestion of
unitsofmeasurement issoimportant thatitisessential thatreference
maybemadetoasingleCommunity act;whereasthisDirective thereby
consolidates alltheCommunity provisions onthissubjectandrepeals
Directive 71/354/EECof18October 1971/
HASADOPTED THISDIRECTIVE *

Article 1
Thelegalunitsofmeasurement withinthemeaningofthisDirective
whicharenecessary forexpressing quantities shallbe:
a)thoselistedinChapterIoftheAnnextothisDirective ;
b)untiladatetobefixedbytheMemberStates,thoselistedin
ChapterIIoftheAnnex;thisdatemaynotbesetatlaterthan
31December 1985;
c)untiladatetobefixedbythoseMemberStates,thoselisted
inChapterIIIoftheAnnexinthoseMemberStateswherethey
wereauthorized on21April1973;thisdatemaynotextendbe­
yondadatewhichshallbesetbytheCouncilunderArticle100
oftheTreatybefore31December 1989.
Article 2
a)Theobligations arisingunderArticle1relatetomeasuring
instruments used,measurements madeandindications ofquantity -
expressed inunits,whetherforeconomic ,publichealth,public
safetyoradministrative purposes.
b)ThisDirective shallnotaffecttheuseinthefieldofairand
seatransport andrailtraffic ofunitswhichitdoesnot
prescribe butwhichhavebeenlaiddownbyinternational
conventions oragreements bindingtheCommunity ortheMember
States.
Article 3
a)Thereisdoubleindication withinthemeaningofthisDirective
whenanindication expressed byaunitlistedinChapterIis
accompanied byasupplementary explanatory indication expressed
byaunitnotlistedinChapterIofthisDirective .

-2-
b)Member States mayauthorize ,ontheir territory ,double indication
using theunits ofmeasurement listed inChapter IIIuntil 31
December 1989t and ,using other units ofmeasurement notlisted in
Chapter I,until 31December 1985 *
c)Member States shall authorize ortolerate onproducts and
equipment double indication using theunits ofmeasurement listed
inChapter IIIuntil 31December 1989 »and ,using other units of
measurement notlisted inChapter I,until 31December 1985 *
d)However ,Member States mayrequire that measuring instruments bear
indications ofquant ityinonesingle legal unit ofmeasurement *
e)When useismade ofdouble indication inaccordance with the
provisions ofthis Directive ,theindication expressed bytheunit
ofmeasurement listed inChapter Ishall bepreponderant .The
indications expressed bytheunits ofmeasurement not listed in
Chapter IoftheAnnex shall beexpressed notably incharacters at
most equal insize tothose ofthecorresponding indication in
units listed inChapter IoftheAnnex .
Article 4
Member States shall authorize theplacing onthemarket andthe
use ofproducts andequipment bearing indications ofquantity in
•units ofmeasurement which arenolonger legal units ofmeasurement ,
when these products andequipment arenecessary tocomplete orreplace
components orparts ofsuch products ,equipment andinstruments
already onthemarket andbearing such indications .
Article 5
ISOStandard 2955 of1March 1974»"Information processing -
Representations ofS.I. andother units foruseinsystems with
limited character sets"applies inthefield covered byits
paragraph 1.

-3-
Article 6
Council Directive fl/354/EECof18October 1971 »asamended bythe
Acts concerning theAccession totheEuropean Communities andmost
recently amended byCouncil Directive l6/no/EE£of27July 1976 ,
shall stand repealed on 1October 1981 .
Article 7
a)Member States shall adopt andpublish before 1July 1981
thelaws ,regulations andadministrative provisions necessary in
order tocomply with this Directive ,which shall enter into force
an1October 1981 and shall inform theCommission thereof .
b)Once this Directive hasbeen notified ,Member States shall also
ensure that theCommission isinformed ,insufficient time to
enable ittosubmit itscomments ,ofanydraft laws ,regulations
oradministrative provisions which they intend toadopt inthe
field covered torthis Directive .
Article 8
This Directive isaddressed tothe Member States *

ANNEX
CHAPTER I
LEGALUNITSOFMEASUREMENT REFERRED TOINARTICLE 1a
1.SIUNITSANDTHEIRDECIMAL MULTIPLES ANDSUBMULTIPLES
1.1.SIbaseunits
QuantityI Unit
Name Symbol
Length metre m
Mass kilogramme Ikg
Time second s
Electriccurrent ampere A
•Thermodynamic temperature |kelvin Κ
Amountofsubstance mole mol
Luminous intensity j
!candela cd
Definitions ofSIbaseunits:
Unitoflength
Themetreisthelengthequalto1650763-73wavelengths invacuumoftheradiation
corresponding tothetransitionbetweenthelevels2p10and5d,ofthekrypton86atom.
(EleventhCGPM(I960),resolution 6).
Unitofmass
Thekilogramme istheunitofmass;itisequaltothemassoftheinternational prototype
ofthekilogramme .
(ThirdCGPM(1901),page70oftheconference report).
Unitoftime
Thesecondisthedurationof9192631770periodsoftheradiationcorresponding to
thetransitionbetweenthetwohypcrfinelevelsofthegroundstateofthecaesium133
atom.
(Thirteenth CGPM(1967),resolution 1).
Unitofeiectricciment
Theampereisthatconstantcurrentwhichifmaintained intwostraightparallelconductors
ofinfinitelength,ofnegligiblecircularcross-section andplacedonemetreapartina
vacuum,wouldproducebetweentheseconductors aforceequalto2X10~7newton
permetreoflength.
(CIPM(1946),resolution 2,approvedbytheninthCGPM(1948)).

Unitofthermodynamic temperature
Thekelvin,unitofthermodynamic temperature ,isthefraction 1/273*16ofthethermo­
dynamictemperature ofthetriplepointofwater.
(Thirteenth CGPM(1967),resolution 4).
Unitofamountofsubstance
Themoleistheamountofsubstance ofasystemwhichcontainsasmanyelementary
entitiesastherearcatomsin0012kgotcarbon12.
Whenthemoleisusedtheelementary entitiesmustbespecifiedandmaybeatoms,mole­
cules,ions,electrons ,otherparticlesorspecifiedgroupsofsuchparticles .
(Fourteenth CGPM(1971),resolution 3).
Unitofluminousintensity
Thecandelaistheluminousintensity,intheperpendicular direction,ofasurfaceof
1/600000m3ofablackbodyatthetemperature offreezingplatinumunderapressure
of101325newtons/m2.
(Thirteenth CGPM(1967),resolution 5).
1.1.1.SpecialnameandsymboloftheSIunitoftemperature forexpressing Celsius
temperature
QuantityUnit
Namc Symbol
Celsiustemperature degreeCelsius °C
Celsiustemperature tisdefinedasthedifferencet=T–T»betweenthetwo
thermodynamic temperatures TandT0whereT0=273*15kclvins.Aninterval
ofordifference'intemperature maybeexpressedeitherinkclvinsorindegrees
Celsius.Theunitof'degreeCelsius'isequaltotheunit'kelvin'.
1.2.OtherSIunits
1.2.1.Supplcmentary SIunits
QuantityUnitv
|'Namc Symbol
Planeangle radian rad
Solidangle steradian sr
(EleventhCGPM,1960,resolution 12).
Definitions ofsupplementary SIunits:
Planeangleunit
Theradianistheplaneanglebetweentworadiiwhich,onthecircumference
ofacircle,cutanarcequalinlengthtotheradius.
(International standardISO31-1).

Solidangleunit
Thesteradian istlicsolidallelewhichhasitsapexatthecentreofasphereand
whichdescribesonthesurfaceofthesphereanareaequaltothatofasquare
havingasit*sidetheradiusofthesphere.
(International standardISO31-1).
1.2.2.Dcrivcd SIunit*
Unitsderivedcoherently fromSIbaseunitsandsupplementary SIunitsaregiven
asalgebraicexpressions intheformofproductsofpowersoftheSIbaseunits
and/orsupplementary SIunitswithanumerical factorequalto1.
1.2.1.DerivedSIunitshavingnamesandsymbols
I Unir Kxpression
Quantity jName SymbolInother
SIunits |Intermsofbase
orsupplementary
SIunits
Frequencyhertz Hz s-1
Force newton Ν 'm■kg•s-2
Pressure,stress pascal l'a N•m-2m-1•kg•s-2
Energy,work'quantity
ofheat joule J N•mm2•kg•s-2
Power(l),radiantfluxrwatt W J-s-1m2■kg•s-'
Quantityofelectricity ,
electriccharge coulomb C s•A
Electricpotential ,po­
tentialdifference ,elec-\
tromotive force 1volt V W-A-'m2•kg•s-3•A-1
Electricresistance ohm V•,A-1m2•kg•s-3•A-2
Conductance sicmens S A•V-1m-2•kg-1•sa•A'
Capacîtance rfarad F c-v-1m-2■kg-1•s*•A2
Magnctic flu\ weberIWbV'S'm2•kg■s-2•A-1
Mangeiicfluxdensity resla Τ IWb•m"2'|kg•s-2•A-1
Inductance henry Wb-A-'ni2•kg•s-2•A-2
Luminous flux lumen Im ,cd■sr
Illuminance lux Ix Im•m~2!m"2•cd*sr
i
Activity (ofaradio­
nuclide) becquerel |i>qj
s"1
Absorbed dose,speci -
ficenergyimported ,
kerma,absorbeddose
index grayI
Oy J•j*"' m2•s-2
Doseequivalent ,dose
equivalent index sievert Sv J•kg"1m2•s-2.
(')Specialnamesfortheunitofpower:thenamevolt-ampere (symbol'VA')whenitmusedto
expresstheapparentpowerofalternaimK electriccurrent,andvar(symbol'v.ir')whenitinused
toexprtssreactiveelectricpower.The4var'isnotincluded inCCl'Mresolutions .
UnitsderivedfromSIb.iscunitsmaybeexpressed intermsoftheunit.\listedin
ChapterA.
Inparticular,derivedSIunits/m.iybeexpressedbythespecialnamesandsymbols
givenintheabovetable;forexample,theSIunitofdynamicviscositymaybe
expressed asm~l■kg•s-1orN•s•m~3orPa•s.

1.3.Prefixesandtheirsymbolsusedtodesignatecertaindecimalmultiplesandsubmultiples
Factor IPrcfix |Symbol Factor Prcfix|Symbol
i
10» 1exa E 10-1 deci d
10" petaΡ 10-1 centi ic
i
101* jtera τ 10- milli
Im
10* g'ga G 10_# micro μ
10» mega M iO-» nano Π
10» kilo le io-" pico ρ
10» hccto h io-" femto f
101 decada J|10-1'|attoa
Thenamesandsymbolsofthedecimalmultiplesandsubmultiples oftheunitofmass
areformedbyattachingprefixestotheword'gramme'andtheirsymbolstothesymbol
V-
Whereaderivedunitisexpressedasafraction,itsdecimalmultiplesandsubmultiples
maybedesignated byattachingaprefixtounitsinthenumerator orthedenominator ,
orinboththeseparts.
Compound prefixes,thatistosayprefixesformedby.thejuxtaposition ofseveralofthe
aboveprefixes,maynotbeused.
1.4.Specialauthorized namesandsymbols
1.4.1.Specialnamesandsymbolsofdecimalmultiplesandsubmultiples ofSIunits
QuantityUnît
Name Symbol|Value
Volume litre H1), 11=1dm*=10-»m3
Mass metricton ■ 1t=1Mg=103kg
Pressure,stress|barbar 1bar=105Pa
(1)Forthesymbolforlitre,wherethereisariskofconfusion betweentheletter1and
thenumber 1,onemayusetheabbreviation "ltr"orwrite"litre"infull(CIPM,1976).
Specialnamesandsymbolsofdecimalmultiplesandsubmultiples ofSIunits
whichmaybeusedonlyinspecialized fields
QuantityUnit
NamcSymbolH Value
Areaoffarmland and
buildingland are a 1a=102ma
Massperunitlengthof
textileyarnsandthreads tex*(')tex* 1tex=\0~*kg•m-1
Note:Theprefixesandtheirsymbolslistedin1.3maybeusedinconjunction
withtheunitsand'symbolscontained inTables1.4.1and1.4.2.
Themultiple10*ais,however,calleda'hectare*.
0)Thecharacter•afteraunitnameorsymbolindicatesthatthesedonotappearinthelistsdrawnupbytheCGPM,CIPM,orBIPM.ThisappliestothewholeofthisAnnex.

2.UNITSWHICHAREDEFINEDONTHEBASISOFSIUNITSBUTARENOTDECIMAL
MULTIPLES ORSUBMULTIPLES THEREOF
Quantity! Unie
|NameSymbol Value
Planeangle revolution *(a)1revolution=2*rad
grade*orgon*gon» 18°n==25Ôrad
degreee 1°=-2-rad
180
minuteofanglet1,=ïôîôôrad
secondofangle*v=6Wmtid
Timeiminute min 1min■-60s
hour H 1h=3600s
day[d |1d=»=86400s
(a)Nointernational symbolextsrs.
Note:Theprefixeslistedin1.3mayonlybeusedinconjunction withthenames'grade*or
'gon'andthesymbolsonlywiththesymbol*gon\
3.UNITSDEFINED INDEPENDENTLY OFTHESEVENSIBASEUNITS
Theunifiedatomicmassunitisone-twelfth ofthemassofanatomofthenuclide"C.
Theelectronvolr isthekineticenergyacquiredbyanelectronpassinginavacuumfromone
pointtoanotherwhosepotential isonevolthigher.
I| Unit
Quantity |Name Symbol Value
Mass unifiedatomicmassunit u 1u«1-6605655x10-"kg
Energy electronvolt eV,leV»»1-6021892X10-"J
Thevalueoftheseunits,expressed inSIunits,isnotexactlyknown.
TheabovevaluesaretakenfromCODATA BulletinNo11ofDecember 1973oftheInter­
nationalCouncilofScientific Unions.
Note:Theprefixesandtheirsymbolslistedin1.3maybeusedinconjunction withthesetwo
unitsandwiththeirsymbols.
4.UNITSANDNAMESOFUNITSPERM1TIED INSPECIALIZED FIELDSONLY
' I
Quantity |Unit
Name Value
Vergencyofopticalsystems
Massofpreciousstonesdioptre*
metriccarat1dioptre=1m-1
1metriccarat=2XIO-4kg
Note:Theprefixeslistedin1.3maybeusedinconjunction withtheaboveunits.

CHAPTER II
LEGALUNITSOFMEASUREMENT REFERRED TOINARTICLE 1b
Quantities,namesofunits,symbolsandvalues
QuantityUnit
Name Symbol Value
Bloodpressure millimeter of
mercurymmHg 1mmHg=133,322Pa
Planeangle JL*0 1--=205rad
Activity(ofaradio­
nuclide) curie Ci 1Ci=3-7X10,#Bq
Absorbed dose rad;rad(2) 1rad=10-1Gy
Equivalent dose rem* rem* lrem=10~2Sv
Exposure(Xandy
rays) rontgen R 1R=2-58X10"4C■kg"1
(1)Symbolfor"grade".
(2)whenthereisriskofconfusion withthesymbolforradian,rdmaybeusedassymbolforrad.
Note:Theprefixesandtheirsymbolslistedin1.3maybeusedinconjunction withtheunits
andsymbolscontained inthissection,withtheexceptionof'g'.

CHAPTER III
I
LEGALUNITSOFMEASUREMENT REFERRED TOINARTICLE1c
Quantities,namesofunits,symbolsandapproximate values
Lcngtn ^_
., 1in-2*54X10-*m
1ft=0-3048mLm 1fm=1-829mfathomc) : *r;™'' 1mile=1609m
Arca ... 1sqft=0-929X10-1m1squarefoot JM„_...lac-4047m51acre
Volume „•.. 1flOK«28-41X10-°m1flm/innnrr *" __-fluidounce jiU=0.142ix10~»m*
e. 1Dt=0-5683X10-'m*
p 1qt=1-137X10"*m3
gallon 1gal^4-546X10-m'
Mass .
ounce(avoirdupois ) 1oz=28-35v
1oi.tr=31-10:
potmd 11b=0-4536kg
(*)Potmarinenavigation only.