15 USC 205 - Sec. 205. Authorized tables

U.S. Code - Title 15: Commerce and Trade

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The tables in the schedule annexed shall be recognized in the construction of contracts and in all legal proceedings as establishing, in terms of the weights and measures on June 22, 1874, in use in the United States, the equivalents of the weights and measures expressed therein in terms of the metric system; and the tables may lawfully be used for computing, determining, and expressing in customary weights and measures the weights and measures of the metric system.

Measures Of Length

Metric denominations and values Equivalents in denominations in use

Myriameter 10,000 meters 6.2137 miles.

Kilometer 1,000 meters 0.62137 mile, or 3,280 feet and 10 inches.

Hectometer 100 meters 328 feet and 1 inch. Dekameter 10 meters 393.7 inches.

Meter 1 meter 39.37 inches.

Decimeter 1/10 of a meter 3.937 inches Centimeter 1/100 of a meter 0.3937 inch. Millimeter 1/1000 of a meter 0.0394 inch.

MEASURES OF CAPACITY

Metric denominations and values Equivalents in denominations in use Names Number Cubic measure Dry Liquor or of measure wine liters measure

Kiloliter, 1,000 1 cubic meter 1.308 264.17 or stere cubic gallons. yards.

Hectoliter 100 1/10 of a cubic 2 bushels 26.417 meter. and 3.35 gallons. pecks.

Dekaliter 10 10 cubic decimeters. 9.08 quarts 2.6417 gallons.

Liter 1 1 cubic decimeter. 0.908 quart 1.0567 quarts.

Deciliter 1/10 1/10 of a cubic 6.1022 0.845 gill. decimeter. cubic inches.

Centiliter 1/100 10 cubic 0.6102 0.338 centimeters. cubic inch. fluid ounce.

Milliliter 1/1000 1 cubic centimeter. 0.061 0.27 fluid cubic inch. dram.

MEASURES OF SURFACE

Metric denominations and values Equivalents in denominations in use

Hectare 10,000 square meters 2.471 acres.

Are 100 square meters 119.6 square yards.

Centare 1 square meter 1,550 square inches.

WEIGHTS

Metric denominations and values Equivalents in denominations in use (avoirdupois weight) Names Number of Weight of what grams quantity of water at maximum density

Millier or tonneau 1,000,000 1 cubic meter 2,204.6 pounds Quintal 100,000 1 hectoliter 220.46 pounds.

Myriagram 10,000 10 liters 22.046 pounds.

Kilogram or kilo 1,000 1 liter 2.2046 pounds.

Hectogram 100 1 deciliter 3.5274 ounces.

Dekagram 10 10 cubic 0.3527 ounce. centimeters Gram 1 1 cubic 15.432 grains. centimeter Decigram 1/10 1/10 of a cubic 1.5432 grains. centimeter Centigram 1/100 10 cubic 0.1543 grain. millimeters Milligram 1/1000 1 cubic 0.0154 grain. millimeter

Codification

R.S. Sec. 3570 derived from act July 28, 1866, ch. 301, Sec. 2, 14 Stat. 339, 340.

U.S. Customary System Of Weights And Measures - Commercial Weights

AND MEASURES UNITS A notice by the Director of the National Bureau of Standards [now National Institute of Standards and Technology] dated July 15, 1968, and published in the Federal Register (33 F.R. 10755, July 27, 1968), provided that: By virtue of the authority vested in the Secretary of Commerce by 15 U.S.C. 272 and delegated to the National Bureau of Standards by Department Order 90-A, the Bureau is charged with the responsibility for "The custody, maintenance, and development of the national standards of measurement, * * *." The method employed for disseminating information on weights and measures units has been through official National Bureau of Standards publications.

However, all such units have never been listed together in any Federal legislation or in the Federal Register.

On February 27, 1968, in the House Committee on Science and Astronautics Report No. 1107, accompanying H.R. 13058, legislation to repeal the Standard Container Act of August 31, 1916 (39 Stat. 673; 15 U.S.C. 251-256), and the Standard Container Act of May 21, 1928 (45 U.S.C. 685; 15 U.S.C. 257-257i), and amend the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of November 3, 1966 (80 Stat. 1296; 15 U.S.C. 1451), the following Committee view was expressed: Testimony revealed that although, standard weights and measures are defined in publications by the Bureau of Standards, these definitions are not defined by law nor have they been published in the Federal Register.

Consequently, the Committee recommends that the Secretary of Commerce cause to be published in the Federal Register a listing of the common weights and measures used in normal commerce throughout the United States and relate them to the standards developed in accordance with existing law, 15 U.S.C. 272. Commercial units of weight and measure in common use are based on the yard and the avoirdupois pound.

The yard and avoirdupois pound were last defined in the Federal Register of July 1, 1959, in terms of the national standards of length and mass: The meter and the National Prototype Kilogram.

From the two units, the yard and the pound, are derived all other U.S. Customary multiple and submultiple units that will be found in ordinary commerce.

They are defined as: 1 yard=0.914 4 meter (!1) 1 pound (avoirdupois)=0.453 592 37 kilogram (!1) LINEAR MEASURE U.S. CUSTOMARY 12 inches=1 foot=0.304 8 meter (!1) 3 feet=1 yard=1.914 4 meter (!1) 5,280 feet=1 statute mile=1,609 kilometers 6,076.115 feet=1 International Nautical Mile=1.852 kilometers (!1) METRIC 10 millimeters=1 centimeter 10 centimeters=1 decimeter 10 decimeters=1 meter 10 meters=1 dekameter 10 dekameters=1 hectometer 10 hectometers=1 kilometer AREA MEASURE U.S. CUSTOMARY 144 square inches=1 square foot=.0.092 9 square meter 9 square feet=1 square yard=0.886 1 square meter 43,560 square feet=1 acre=0.404 7 hectare 640 acres=1 square mile=259 hectares 1 square mile=1 section=259 hectares 36 sections=1 township=932 4 hectares METRIC 100 square millimeters=1 square centimeter 10,000 square centimeters=1 square meter 100 square meters=1 are 100 ares=1 hectare 100 hectares=1 square kilometer WEIGHT U.S. CUSTOMARY (AVOIRDUPOIS) 437.5 grains=1 ounce=28.349 5 grams 7,000 grains=1 pound=0.453 592 37 kilogram 16 ounces=1 pound=0.453 592 37 kilogram 2,000 pounds=1 short ton=0.907 2 metric ton 2,240 pounds=1 long ton=1.016 metric tons METRIC 10 milligrams=1 centigram 10 centigrams=1 decigram 10 decigrams=1 gram 10 grams=1 dekagram 10 dekagrams=1 hectogram 10 hectograms=1 kilogram 1,000 kilograms=1 metric ton CAPACITY, OR VOLUME, LIQUID MEASURE U.S. CUSTOMARY 1 gallon=231 cubic inches=3.785 4 liters 4 fluid ounces=1 gill=0.118 3 liter 4 gills=1 pint=0.473 2 liter 2 pints=1 quart=0.946 4 liter 4 quarts=1 gallon=3.785 4 liters METRIC 10 milliliters=1 centiliter 10 centiliters=1 deciliter 10 deciliters=1 liter 10 liters=1 dekaliter 10 dekaliters=1 hectoliter 10 hectoliters=1 kiloliter CAPACITY, OR VOLUME, DRY MEASURE U.S. CUSTOMARY 1 bushel=2,150.42 cubic inches=35.239 1 liters 2 dry pints=1 dry quart=1.101 2 liters 8 dry quarts=1 peck=8.809 8 liters 4 pecks=1 bushel=35.239 1 liters The accepted volume of a barrel in the United States varies significantly depending both on the commodity for which it is used and on how it is defined in State law (varying from State-to-State). METRIC The volumetric units are the same for both liquid and dry measure in the Metric System.

CUBIC MEASURE U.S. CUSTOMARY 1,728 cubic inches=1 cubic foot=0.028 316 8 cubic meter 27 cubic feet=1 cubic yard=0.764 554 9 cubic meter METRIC 1,000 cubic millimeters=1 cubic centimeter 1,000 cubic centimeters=1 cubic decimeter 1,000 cubic decimeters=1 cubic meter SPECIAL UNITS The unit used for the sale of firewood is the cord of 128 cubic feet. The unit used for the sale of precious stones is the Metric Carat of 200 milligrams.

The units used for over-the-counter sales of precious metals in the United States are troy units.

TROY WEIGHT 24 grains=1 pennyweight=1.555 17 grams 20 pennyweights=1 ounce troy=31.103 47 grams 12 ounces troy=1 pound troy=0.373 242 kilogram The apothecaries system of units, once widely used in the United States for pharmaceutical purposes, is now used only very little.

Usage of the Metric System has replaced the apothecaries system at the manufacturing level, and at most of the retail level.

ELECTRICITY AND NATURAL GAS When a consumer is billed for having used electricity, what has been sold is electrical energy, and that energy is expressed in terms of kilowatt-hours.

One kilowatt-hour equals 3,600,000 joules (the joule is the unit of energy in the International System of Units). Consumption of natural gas normally is expressed in terms of therms.

One therm equals 105,480,400 joules. -FOOTNOTE- (!1) Denotes exact figures.