§ 205. — Authorized tables.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 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.
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MEASURES OF CAPACITY
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Metric denominations and values Equivalents in denominations in use
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number
Names of Cubic measure Dry measure Liquor or wine
liters measure
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kiloliter, or stere................ 1,000 1 cubic meter 1.308 cubic 264.17 gallons.
yards.
Hectoliter......................... 100 \1/10\ of a cubic meter. 2 bushels and 26.417 gallons.
3.35 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 cubic 0.845 gill.
decimeter. inches.
Centiliter......................... \1/100\ 10 cubic centimeters. 0.6102 cubic 0.338 fluid ounce.
inch.
Milliliter......................... \1/ 1 cubic centimeter. 0.061 cubic 0.27 fluid dram.
1000\ inch.
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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 density (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 centimeter 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.
