
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 2, 2001 and January 28, 2002]
[CITE: 15USC205]

 
                      TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND TRADE
 
            CHAPTER 6--WEIGHTS AND MEASURES AND STANDARD TIME
 
        SUBCHAPTER I--WEIGHTS, MEASURES, AND STANDARDS GENERALLY
 
Sec. 205. Authorized tables

    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.

(R.S. Sec. 3570.)

                           MEASURES OF LENGTH
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Equivalents in  denominations in
  Metric denominations and values                    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                        Equ
ivalents in  denominations in use
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------
                                      Number
               Names                    of           Cubic measure          Dry
  measure       Liquor or wine
                                      liters                                   
                   measure
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------
Kiloliter, or stere................    1,000  1 cubic meter                1.30
8 cubic     264.17 gallons.
                                                                            yar
ds.
Hectoliter.........................      100  \1/10\ of a cubic meter.     2 bu
shels and   26.417 gallons.
                                                                            3.3
5 pecks.
Dekaliter..........................       10  10 cubic decimeters.         9.08
 quarts     2.6417 gallons.
Liter..............................        1  1 cubic decimeter.           0.90
8 quart     1.0567 quarts.
Deciliter..........................   \1/10\  \1/10\ of a cubic            6.10
22 cubic    0.845 gill.
                                               decimeter.                   inc
hes.
Centiliter.........................  \1/100\  10 cubic centimeters.        0.61
02 cubic    0.338 fluid ounce.
                                                                            inc
h.
Milliliter.........................      \1/  1 cubic centimeter.          0.06
1 cubic     0.27 fluid dram.
                                       1000\                                inc
h.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------


                           MEASURES OF SURFACE
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Equivalents in  denominations in
  Metric denominations and values                    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
                                           Number of    Weight of what quantity
 of      denominations in  use
                  Names                      grams       water at maximum densi
ty        (avoirdupois weight)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------
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 centimeters    
      0.3527 ounce.
Gram....................................            1  1 cubic centimeter      
      15.432 grains.
Decigram................................       \1/10\  \1/10\ of a cubic centim
eter  1.5432 grains.
Centigram...............................      \1/100\  10 cubic millimeters    
      0.1543 grain.
Milligram...............................     \1/1000\  1 cubic millimeter      
      0.0154 grain.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------

                          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\ Denotes exact figures.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
