# Things that are measured in metric/imperial in imperial/metric countries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 12, 2016, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910 "2016-01-12T06:23:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/21 "2016-01-13T08:53:13Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > In China, bicycle tires are 26", 27.5", or 29" for MTB. Tire and fork inflation pressures are all in PSI, even though bar are usually printed on the tires in addition to PSI. US car tires are usually PSI and kPa. I don’t remember seeing bars (1 bar = 100 kPa) anywhere, but I’m not going to drag a bicycle out this late. > [@Nava](#): > > _palmos_ (handspans) for length, most commonly when talking about cloth > pre-internet, house prices in Barcelona would reference the price by _palmo cuaddrado_, square handspan (not by square meter as in the rest of the country) so the numbers would be smaller and less scary IANA equestrian, but according to Wikipedia, hands (4 inches) are a unit used in US, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and UK for the height of horses. > [@](#): > > Kitchen scales are pretty common in Spain in my experience; volumes when given tend to be less exact (“one soup spoon, flat”, “one soup spoon, with hill”) and often given as ratios: “pick a small recipient, or several of the same size, and use them as your measure: 2 measures flour, 1 measure sugar, half a measure…” Thanks. We have one, but I didn’t buy it and never felt the need. Also, I’m not sure if the recipes I remember are for cooking or baking, as it might be more important to be specific for the latter. > [@Remember\_me](#): > > In Germany it is similar to what has been said already. > Screens come in inches, the value is sometimes also given in centimetres. This is a rather recent development: 15-20 years ago when TV screens were still in 4:3 format they were sized by centimetres. In essence, Germany converted to imperial in this market. Which is funny because the measurements became more precise. When talking about LCDs, 50" is 50" diagonally, but with CRTs, a 17" monitor may be smaller when you measure the screen because it’s the size of the tube, including the hidden parts. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/22 "2016-01-13T09:44:58Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Aside from Canada, do most metric countries use measures of volume in recipes? I use volumetric measures all the time: 1tsp = 5 ml 1 tbs = 15 ml 1 cup = 250 ml the only non-metric measure we don’t use is the “stick” for butter > [@](#): > > If so, are kitchen scales pretty standard in Europe et al.? If you bake, definitely. By weight is much better than by volume, anyway - packing densities aren’t consistent. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/23 "2016-01-13T15:13:42Z")
Why is cocaine measured in kilos but weed is measured in ounces? [quote=“kambuckta, post:3, topic:742910”] But when CrimeStoppers tells me the alleged accused is 173cm tall, my eyes just glaze over and I have NO idea how tall he is! QUOTE] Seriously. I have no idea if I should be on the lookout for a giant or a dwarf. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/24 "2016-01-13T20:39:48Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Why is cocaine measured in kilos but weed is measured in ounces? You must be buying one from a distributor and the other from a dealer. Even Charlie Sheen probably didn’t buy coke by the kilogram. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/25 "2016-01-14T00:00:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > You must be buying one from a distributor and the other from a dealer. The same distinction between metric and non-metric units for those substances applies in the UK, although it’s obviously more often grams than kilograms at the consumer level. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/26 "2016-01-14T01:35:42Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Even in countries where one measurement standard predominates, there are tiny things that have become exclusively measured in the other. For example, most people know that American large sodas exclusively come in litres while small sodas still come in oz. But I found it odd that backpack sizes are also exclusively denominate in litres in the US. > > On the flip side, in Australia, I’m pretty sure all conversations around penis size were denominated in inches. I’m not even quite sure what the size of my penis is in cm. I’m curious if this applies to other metric countries as well? > > What are some other exceedingly specific, random items that end up being denominated in the opposite measurement system? Personal hight was certainly one of the last hold outs! (And still is in medical care) But I recently saw a bank door that had the scale (for estimating the height of bank robbers as they leave) only marked in centimetres. Oddly enough, bookshelves were another long-term hold out: long after most things were converted, bookshelve were still sold in feet and inches. Truck heights were a short-term hold out: the bridge signs were very quickly converted to metric, then very quickly converted back to metric / imperial, after a very quick series of bridge/truck collisions. Mens clothing is sold in psuedo-metric: the sizes 92, 97, 102, 105 map to 36, 38, 40, 42. Canned goods were psuedo-metric for a long time (presumably, until the machinary wore out)… Imported goods are, of course, often in relabled American units. I still use a 6-inch ruler, and people who were only 5 at the time when inch-rulers were made illegal (fines or prison) would know what I mean - I’m not sure younger than that. Nuts and Bolts to a limited extent - for esample, computers aren’t metric. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/27 "2016-01-14T12:16:04Z")
> [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](#): > > Finland has been metric for ages, but […] bicycle wheels are 26" or 28", In the US, how bicycle tires and tubes are measured depends on the type of bike. Road bikes are all in metric, usually 700 mm for inside diameter and 19 through 25 mm for diameter of the actual tube. Mountain bikes tires, on the other hand are usually, but not always, in inches. Pressure is always in PSI, though. A lot of other bicycle parts are also in metric, but that’s because virtually all of them come from France, Japan, or Taiwan. Or at least sold by companies from those countries, even if they’re now made in China. Cyclists just got used to having parts denominated in cm or grams or whatever. This may not apply so much to mountain bikes; I’m a road cyclist so I’m more familiar with those. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/28 "2016-01-14T13:13:29Z")
Groceries will convert to a new system as often as they are able to so they can shave off a bit of what you’re used to getting for the same price. I’m sure beans will be sold in 10 Xaktarian grelub cans 2 days after the invasion. ---
**Author:** ![bb49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b38774/32.png) [@bb49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bb49)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/29 "2016-01-15T04:52:30Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > In Canada, most weights are metric (e.g., grocery items), but humans are weighed in pounds. But all the flyers that the grocery stores put out are showing prices in pounds, and quite often in their stores too. While distances are in kilometres and gasoline in litres, I still mostly hear people discussing fuel consumption in miles per gallon. Nobody seems to use the “official” terminology lt/100 km. Although I am starting to see some car manufacturers use km/lt. I recall when Canada went metric, the Canadian government threatened to take a carpet company to court for advertising carpet in yards and not metres. They wisely backed off. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/30 "2016-01-15T18:05:26Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > a bank door that had the scale (for estimating the height of bank robbers as they leave) only marked in centimetres. HUH ??? Ummmm…who cares about whether it’s marked in centimeters or inches?..I’m trying to wrap my head around the idea that banks routinely measure their robbers. I suppose the poor bank can’t afford security cameras; or maybe there’s no need for them, anyway. Because, obviously, when the robber sees the measuring scale, he will suddenly stand still, remove his shoes, and stand with his feet flat, his spine straight and his back pressed to the wall- like a kid in the doctor’s office. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/31 "2016-01-15T18:06:56Z")
You know what _estimating_ means, right? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/32 "2016-01-15T18:12:14Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > _robadas_ for a measure of arable land in Aragon and Navarre Wouldn’t _robada_ mean stolen? 😕 Property is theft, indeed. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/33 "2016-01-15T18:23:12Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > You know what _estimating_ means, right? yeah, but I like to imagine a bank robber stopping in his tracks to measure himself. 🙂 It sounds like a Monty Python skit. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/34 "2016-01-16T23:34:38Z")
[quote=“msmith537, post:23, topic:742910”] > [@kambuckta](#): > > But when CrimeStoppers tells me the alleged accused is 173cm tall, my eyes just glaze over and I have NO idea how tall he is! QUOTE] > > Seriously. I have no idea if I should be on the lookout for a giant or a dwarf. It’s a lot easier if you think 1.73 meters. 2 meters is a bit over 6 feet 6 inches (or 78 inches) This is a bit under 7/8 of that so a bit under 70 inches (5’ 10") so it’s pretty average for a man and a bit tall for a woman. ---
**Author:** ![turner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@turner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turner)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/35 "2016-01-16T23:49:49Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I use volumetric measures all the time: > 1tsp = 5 ml > 1 tbs = 15 ml > 1 cup = 250 ml > the only non-metric measure we don’t use is the “stick” for butter > > If you bake, definitely. By weight is much better than by volume, anyway - packing densities aren’t consistent. In the Us, a stick of butter is a quarter pound (four sticks per pound), so what is a stick? An eighth of a kilo? ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2016, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/36 "2016-01-17T03:54:14Z")
The last time I was on a Canadian ferry, all the distances painted on the bulkheads for use by the cars was in feet. and fishing weights were in ounces. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2016, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/37 "2016-01-17T04:55:18Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > Wouldn’t _robada_ mean stolen? 😕 Property is theft, indeed. 🙂 Coincidence between two words of completely different origins. A _robada_ is the area which would give you a _robo_ of cereal (a volume of 28.13cl, which of course isn’t its original definition). And yes, _robo_ in its most usual aception means robbery. But in this case it comes from the Arabic _rub_ (don’t know how to spell it in Arabic), meaning quarter, rather than from the Middle Ages Latin _raubare_, to steal. [Robo 1 vs 2.](http://dle.rae.es/?id=WYGycUZ%7CWYHC5ED) [Robada.](http://dle.rae.es/?id=WXPDmJ8) [Arroba](http://dle.rae.es/?id=3ljwHF8) has the same Arabic root. [Robar](http://dle.rae.es/?id=WXknmzC) is from a Germanic root via Latin. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/38 "2016-01-20T02:02:30Z")
The last time I was consulting Canadian/Ontario CSA safety regulations (2006 or so), most things were still Canadian Imperial, such as the heights requiring fall prevention equipment, ladder heights, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/39 "2016-01-20T03:32:52Z")
about 10 years I was on trip to Toronto and a consultant and were discussing specs at my (American) plant. He kept asking questions and I kept answering in English units which slowed down the conversation because of conversion. He kept admonishing the US for not converting to the Metric System, the Rest of the World was on the Metric (yada yada yada) Anyways, we go out to eat at a steakhouse and he orders a 20 oz Ribeye. After the waiter took our order, I asked him how come he didn’t order a 567 gram Steak. ---
**Author:** ![ToughLife](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@ToughLife](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToughLife)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910/40 "2016-01-20T15:10:16Z")
> [@turner](#): > > In the Us, a stick of butter is a quarter pound (four sticks per pound), so what is a stick? An eighth of a kilo? yeah,pretty close now try to convert $ per gallon into £ per litre or better yet in £ per liter another easy one MPG into L per 100 km 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-measured-in-metric-imperial-in-imperial-metric-countries/742910.md?page=3)