Everyone knows that in America everything is different from other countries. And the point is not even that there are different laws and customs, but that there are completely different units of measurement. All these feet, inches, Fahrenheit and miles... How not to break your head in all this and figure out what's what?
So, we will not scare you with “sea leagues” or “long tons”, but will consider only those units of measurement that are used by Americans in everyday speech.
Miles, yards, feet and inches are used to measure length
Mile = mile = 1609 meters
In general, there are many different types of "miles", but when an American simply says "mile", he means an ordinary "statute mile". It is in it that the distance from New York to Los Angeles is measured (directly, by the way, this is 2448 miles), it is written on traffic signs and determines the speed of your car. By the way, the expression “to go the extra mile” will mean “do your best” and not “go another 1609 meters”. You can also say that a person is visible “from a mile away” or that you are “miles from nowhere”.
Yard = yard = 0.9144 meters
There are many options for the origin of the yard. Some believe that this is the length from the tip of the king's nose to the tip of the middle finger of an outstretched hand. There are also options that the yard came from the size of the waist or the length of the king's sword. In any case, now a yard is a little less than a meter and equals 3 feet. By the way, the expression "whole nine yards" does not always mean that something takes up the whole nine yards. Typically, this phrase means that something constitutes a “complete set” or “complete set.” Example: “I bought the TV, the home theater system... The whole nine yards” - “I bought a TV, a home theater... The complete set.”
Foot = foot = 0.3048 meters
Feet are used as often as our meters. They also measure height. By the way, American licenses and identity cards always show a person’s height and weight. As you probably already guessed, the word “foot” itself traces its history to the word “foot.” Since everyone’s feet are different, in 1958 at a conference of English-speaking countries it was decided that now the standard “foot”, that is, “foot” is equal to 0.3048 meters. And one mile now contains “only” 5,280 feet. Isn’t it “logical”?
Inch = inch = 2.54 cm
It is believed that historically an inch was equal to the length of an adult man's thumb. The caliber of a weapon is also measured in inches. There are 12 inches in one foot. This value is one of the smallest, which is actively used in everyday life. Maybe this is why our Russian expression “step by step” in English can sound “inch by inch”. Although the “step by step” option is also actively used.
There is a very good expression “Give an inch and take a mile”. Usually it sounds something like this: “He is very greedy. Give him an inch and he will take a mile” (“He is very greedy. Give him an inch and he will take a mile”). Well, or if we translate this literally, then “If you give him a finger, he’ll grab your whole hand.”
Pounds (not to be confused with feet) and ounces are used to measure weight in everyday life in the United States.
Pound = pound = 0.45 kg
In the US, the pound is often shortened to lb. (from Latin libra - scales). Historically, this unit of mass measurement was actively used in Europe and the value was set by each feudal lord. Now the pound continues its life in the USA. One pound consists of 16 ounces.
Please note that in the USA pounds are used as a measure of weight, and in the UK the monetary unit is also called the pound. Be careful when translating proverbs. For example, in the saying “be penny-wise and pound-foolish” (“thrifty in small things and wasteful in large things”) we are talking about British pounds, and in the phrase “pounding head” (“heavy head”) we are already talking about the measure weight.
Ounce = ounce = 28.35 g
Ounce is shortened to oz. Since the weight of an ounce is very small, we use it when talking about the weight of jewelry. It is unlikely that anyone will measure the weight of potatoes in this unit.
There is a good expression - “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If translated literally, we get something like “An ounce of protection weighs a pound of cure.” Well, in a beautiful translation it will sound “The best tactic is prevention.”
These are the basic measures of length and weight that Americans and British use in everyday speech. Thanks to our proximity to Europe, the British may still have a good understanding of our meters and kilograms. The Americans do not understand anything about this and ask that everything be transferred to them in their “native” pounds and miles.
Shutikova Anna
In addition to the metric system of measures, the English language uses its own methods of measuring length, weight and volume. Mostly, English units of measurement are used in the domestic market, and some are gradually falling out of use. Until 1971, the shilling was used as a monetary unit, which was part of the pound sterling in the amount of 20 units. In turn, there were 12 pence in a shilling. It is easy to calculate that there were 240 pence in a pound. The two shilling coin was called a florin.
The use of such a monetary unit in international payments caused serious difficulties, so in 1971 the good old shilling went into oblivion, and the number of pence in a shilling was reduced to one hundred. Other units of measurement in English have been preserved, and many of them are still used today, and the American barrel is used when trading oil on the international market. These words need to be learned, since you will encounter them either in texts when studying English, or you will encounter them when communicating with native speakers.
The English system of measures was developed in “pre-metric” times, and any parts of the body, containers or available materials were used as a “standard”. For example,
- Inch was the average width of a man's thumb
- Foot was equal to the average length of an adult human foot
- Stone was equal to the weight of a stone of a certain size
- Barrel (barrel, barrel) was the volume of a standard barrel.
In many countries and in Great Britain itself, various standards were invented, but after the revolution that the metric system of measures produced, all traditional measures began to be tied to it.
Length in English
Each English measure of length has its own history of origin and these units are interconnected:
- Point (0.3528mm)- a point approximately equal to the width of the point that we put on the letter
- Line(2.1mm)- line (6 points), which is close to the traditional 2 millimeters
- Inch(2.54cm)- inch. Approximately half the length of a matchbox.
- Foot(30.48cm)- ft. A little less than a third of a meter.
- Yard (0.9144m)- yard Doesn't reach a meter, about 8 centimeters.
- Furlong (201, 171m)- furlong. Close to 200 meters.
- Mile(1.6093 km)- “land” mile. Very close to 1600 meters.
- Naut mile(1.832km)- nautical mile. More than a simple mile by almost 231 meters.
How is volume measured?
This measure is necessary for measuring liquid or bulk products. The volume of solids is usually measured in square inches, feet and yards. An interesting measure of volume is measured by stacks. This English unit of volume is equal to four cubic yards.
To measure granular and liquid substances, the following measures are used:
- Butt- slightly less than 500 l, namely 490.97 l
- Barrel- British barrel 163.65 is much larger than American 119.2 l (US)
- Barrel for oil trading in the UK it is 158.988 l, and in the USA it differs by only 0.018 l (158.97 l)
- Gallon- here the difference is much higher: 4.546 liters in the UK versus 3.784 liters in the USA
- Pint- a British pint is almost 100 ml larger than an American one (0.57 l versus 0.473 l)
- Fluid ounce- there is unanimity here (28.4 ml)
- A quart is equal to 1.136 liters
- Bushel has a volume of 36.37 liters
How is weight measured?
We list the weight measures in English and Russian:
- 1. Ounce (ounce) slightly less than 30 g (28.35 g)
- 2. Pound as an English unit of weight (pound) equal to 453.59 g, which is almost 47 g less than half a kilogram
- 3. Stone, used mostly in America is 6.35 kg
- 4. Short ton is equal to 907.18 kg, and if you are interested, trace its history on the Internet
- 5. Long ton very close to a metric ton and equal to 1016 kg
In fact, there are many more traditional English measures of measurement; we have touched only on the most popular ones.
Lim English also recommends that you pay attention to the English measure of counting - dozen (dozen). It was once used in Russia, but gradually fell out of use. Also interesting is the unit of time measurement fortnight (14 days).
On the site you will learn to distinguish between metric and traditional English and American units of measurement. You will also be able to compare their meaning. The most important thing is that when traveling abroad, the mention of a pint or a gallon will not take you by surprise!
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A few facts about the British Imperial and American systems of weights and measures
Many people have heard that there are British Imperial and American systems of weights and measures. Do you know how they differ? These two systems are closely related; they both originated from the English system, which, in turn, was based on the system of measures of Ancient Rome. The American and British systems of measures are so close that they are often confused. And it is not surprising, given that often in these systems the names of the units are the same, although their meanings may differ.
History of units of measurement
The units of measurement that are used today in the United States and partly in Great Britain became widespread during the Norman conquests. The yard is the only unit that has remained virtually unchanged since those times. The yard replaced the previously used elbow (ell). Chain is another measure that came from old Anglia, which has hardly changed. On the other hand, the foot that is in use today has changed from the original foot. Today there are 16.5 feet in a rod unit, but originally there were exactly 15. Furlong and acre have not changed much in the last thousand years. They were originally a measure of land value, but later became simply units of area.
Confusion with British pounds
Differences between the British and American systems
Probably the most unusual units are volume units. A US liquid gallon is 0.83 imperial gallons, and a US dry gallon is 0.97 imperial gallons. In the UK, there is a single gallon for liquid and bulk substances.
US independence
After the US Declaration of Independence, America seceded and developed its own system of weights and measures. That is why today the meanings of American and British gallons, pounds, and yards differ. Ultimately, the two governments decided to work together and introduce precise definitions of the yard and foot, based on copies of the official standards that the British Parliament adopted in 1850. True, I had to admit that these “official” standards were not of very high quality and cannot provide the accuracy necessary in the modern world. Therefore, in 1960, two governments officially redefined the pound and yard based on the standards used in the metric system. And although the changes in 1960 were very small in magnitude, their consequence was the emergence of two parallel standards for measures of length in the United States - survey measures (the old standard) and international measures (the new one, tied to metric units).
The differences between US and UK units are often the subject of discussion and jokes among tourists. For example, in England, beer is sold in pints, with the British pint being larger than the American pint. This gives rise to endless jokes about Americans who can't calculate their drinking and the British who are always overpriced for a gallon of petrol.
What other differences are there in units?
Before 1960, the British yard and pound were not significantly different from their American counterparts, at least for everyday use - measuring not very long distances or selling, for example, products. But there were some differences even in this common usage. For example, in the USA short distances are usually denoted in feet, and in England - in yards.
It’s hard to believe, but there are still people alive who grew up among a different measurement system and other units. The old imperial system had a unit of stone equal to 14 pounds. Eight stone made a hundredweight (hundredweight), and a ton was equal to 20 hundredweight or 2240 pounds. In the American system there are no stones, and a hundredweight is equal to 100 pounds. Accordingly, a ton is equal to 2000 pounds. The round number 2000 is easier to remember than 2240, but having two different versions of tons and quintals leads to confusion, especially in international trade. To make it easier for people in different countries to understand the difference when talking about a ton, the British ton is often called the long ton, and the American ton is called the short ton. But there is also a metric ton!
If you think the modern system is too confusing, think about those who lived in the 19th century. Thomas Jefferson, in his “Plan for the Establishment of Uniform Standards of Coinage, Weights and Measures,” noted that in the United States alone there were 14 different definitions of the gallon. The smallest gallon contained 224 cubic inches, and the largest contained 282 cubic inches. The difference is more than a quarter! Ultimately, the Queen Anne gallon was chosen as the official one.
To facilitate international oil trade, a single unit of measurement was chosen - the barrel. One barrel is 159 liters or 42 US gallons. Precious metals are traded in troy ounces, one troy ounce is equal to 31.10 grams.
Ultimately, the whole world will probably come to a single measurement system. Most likely it will be the metric system. But for now we still live in a world where a wild mixture of systems and units coexists, including units that have the same name but with different meanings. Isn't it true that our world is a little crazy?
Despite the invention of the decimal system, which the whole world now uses, American and English measures of length are often found in everyday life. Let's take the diagonal of the TV. In equipment passports, warranty cards, the size is indicated everywhere in inches. The same applies to pipe diameters, tool sizes, bolts, nuts. In order not to look stupid in situations with unfamiliar quantities, you need to have an idea of the main ones.
Length measures
Our ancestors did not have digital and magnetic instruments capable of measuring the required value. Therefore, for convenience, they used the measurements of their own body, that is, what they always have with them. These were feet, fingers, elbows, steps, palms.
- Mile as the most popular unit, is accepted throughout the world to indicate the distance of air and land routes.
1 mile (mil) = 1609 m
1 nautical mile = 1852 m
- The basic unit of the American system is considered to be feet..
1 foot (ft) = 30.48 cm
The meaning of foot comes from England. This quantity measured a distance equal to 16 feet and was called the rod (stock).
- Size inch was popular in all European countries before the introduction of the SI system. It was calculated by the length of the joint of the thumb or its width at the base.
1 inch (in) = 25.4 mm
There is an opinion that the size of an inch was determined by three grains of barley, laid lengthwise one after another. According to another version, the component of an inch was 1/36 of a yard, which was established by King Henry I in 1101. Its length was equal to the distance from the middle finger of his right hand to the tip of his nose.
- The yard is initially taken as the average stride length.
1 yard (yd) = 0.9144 m
- Line – used in military affairs to indicate the caliber of a weapon.
1 line (ln) = 2.12 mm
- League. The league value has long been used in naval battles to determine the distance of a cannon shot. Later it began to be used for land and postal affairs.
1 league = 4.83 km
Measures rarely used in everyday life
1 mil = 0.025 mm
1 hand = 10.16 cm
1st kind = 5.029 m
1 chain = 20.12 m (for surveyors) and 30.48 m (for builders)
1 furlong = 201.17 m
1 faton = 1.83 m
1 el = 1.14 m
1 pace = 0.76 m
1 qubit = 46-56 cm
1 span = 22.86 cm
1 link = 20.12 cm (for surveyors) and 30.48 cm (for builders)
1 flier = 11.43 cm
1 nail = 5.71 cm
1 barleycorn = 8.47 mm
1 point = 0.353 mm
1 cable = 219.5 m (in England this is 183 m)
Most popular units of measurement
The US is the only developed country to abandon the metric system. In addition to the United States, 2 more countries do not use the SI system: Liberia and Myanmar.
Once in this country, do not be surprised if in cold damp weather you ask on the street how many degrees, and you will be told that it is plus 32. Just 0 degrees Celsius, this is the American 32 Fahrenheit. When driving to a gas station, be sure to convert liters to gallons. Our 3.78 liters corresponds to one gallon.
- Barrel– a measure of volume for bulk materials and liquids.
Translated from English it means barrel. In the world, calculating oil in barrels is considered the most convenient, so oil companies set prices in dollars per barrel.
1 barrel (bbl) = 158.9 liters
1 dry barrel = 115.6 liters
The concept of a beer barrel was introduced specifically to calculate the volume of beer in the UK. Its value changed over time and depended on the type of drink (ale or beer). The value was finally established in 1824 and amounted to 163.66 liters per 1 barrel.
- Bushel- a measure of volume for dry substances in agriculture (the volume of grain, vegetables, fruits was measured). In international trade, containers weighing 18 kg are taken as a bushel.
1 bushel (bu) = 35.24 liters
- Gallon– the same as a barrel. A gallon is further divided into a pint and an ounce.
1 gallon for liquid (gl) = 3.79 dm3
1 gallon for bulk solids (gl) = 4.4 dm 3
1 pint = 1/8 gallon = 0.47 dm3
1 ounce = 1/16 pint = 29.57 ml
An ounce has retained its value since ancient times and was approximately equal to 30 g. In the American system, the concept of an ounce is widely used in the pharmaceutical and jewelry business.
- Quart– a unit of measurement of container volume equal to ¼ gallon
1 quart for liquid = 0.946 liters
1 quart for solids = 1.1 liters
Area measures
The square acre is most widely used in world literature..
Its original designation served to calculate the area of land that could be cultivated by one peasant with one ox.
Converting the acre value to the SI system is very simple. If we divide the number by 10, we get the result in meters. And if you divide by 2 - in hectares.
1 inch (sq. in) = 6.45 cm 2
1 foot (sq. ft) = 929 cm 2
1 yard (sq.yd) = 0.836 m2
1 mile (sq.mi) = 2.59 km 2
1 acre(s) = 4046.86 m2
Volume measures
Why is volume determined?
- to describe the capacity of household appliances
- for shipping containers
- to determine the amount of gas
- to describe the capacity of commercial warehouses
The most commonly used measure of three-dimensional space is the foot. A cubic foot is defined as the volume of a cube with an edge of 1 foot. Less commonly used are yard and inch.
To get cubic volume, you need to multiply the length, height and width.
1 ton (register) = 2.83 m 3
1 yard = 0.76 m 3
1 foot = 28.32 dm 3
1 inch = 16.39 cm 3
Weights
- Pound - used as a measure of weight and to describe mass.
In the United States, the pound is used to express pressure per square inch. The pound is also used to describe the weight of ammunition (cases, shells, bullets).
To convert pounds to kilograms, divide the number of pounds by 2.2
1 lb (lb) = 453.59 g
- An ounce is a measure of weight that has found application in jewelry and banking, for determining the weight of precious metals and stones, as well as in pharmacy.
To convert an ounce to kilograms, you need to divide its quantity by 35.2
1 ounce (oz) = 28.35 g
- Stone is a unit of measurement used to describe the weight of the human body..
1 stone (st) = 6.35 kg
- A short ton is a measure of weight equivalent to 2,000 pounds.. Also known in the USA, but practically not used, is the long ton, which is equal to 2240 trade pounds.
1 short ton = 907.18 kg
1 long ton = 1016 kg
If you are going to America, check the local standard of measures. This way you will avoid awkward situations and choose the right question that interests you. You don't have to memorize numbers to do this. All you need to do is download a simple converter to your phone.
Greetings, dear readers! Very often in films we hear about inches, yards, miles, acres. Almost every day the news says that a barrel of oil has risen in price by so many dollars. And if we imagine how much this is approximately in rubles, then we have no idea exactly how much oil in liters. Therefore, knowing the units of measurement in the USA, Canada and England is necessary not only for students of English, but will also be useful for the general development of everyone in order to imagine what is said in the news, literature or movies.
English units of measurementEnglish units and measures of length, weight, volume, area, mass and other indicators are very different from those in Russian. Many of them, as I already said, you could have heard from movies, TV shows or news, or read in English literature. But in the USA and England, as well as in Australia and Canada, there are units of measurement that are not known to Russian speakers at all. For example, bushel, mil, rod, pepper and many others.
Sometimes it is very difficult to navigate new material or interesting information in English precisely because of ignorance of the meanings of some foreign measures. Therefore, in this article we will analyze in detail the units of measurement in English, find out their names, and approximately how much it will be if translated into familiar units of weight, length, speed, volume and distance.
The English measurement system is used not only in England and the USA, but also in other English-speaking countries. Great Britain, as a European country, has long adopted the decimal and metric system of measures, but the press and ordinary people are in no hurry to accept the new system and use the old one. The most common measures of length, weight and volume in English are barrel, foot, pint, acre, yard, inch and mile.
- 1 fluid ounce (fl. oz.) = 28.43 ml (cm³)
- 1 oz = 28.6 g
- Short ton = 907 kg
- Long ton = 1016.05 kg
- Barrel = 163.6 l
- Barrel of oil = 158.98 l
- 1 lb = 453.5 g
- 1 acre = 0.4 ha
- 1 yard = 0.9144 m
- 1 inch = 2.54 cm
- 1 pint = 507 ml
- 1 grain = 64.8 mg
This is only a small part of the units of measurement in English. In fact, there are more than a hundred of them. You won't be able to learn them all, but it would be nice to get acquainted with the most popular ones. After all, in newspapers, on radio and television, we regularly encounter these incomprehensible words, symbols and designations in English or their tracing paper in Russian.
Table of the most common English measurements
To make it easier for you to navigate each unit of measure, I divided them into categories, found their approximate values in our system, and placed them in a convenient table. This table can be downloaded and saved to your computer, or printed and hung in a visible place so that you can easily look into it if necessary.
Unit in English | In Russian | Approximate value |
Length & Areas |
||
| mile | mile | 1609 m |
| nautical mile | nautical mile | 1853 m |
| league | league | 4828.032 m |
| cable | cable | 185.3 m |
| yard | yard | 0.9144 m |
| pole, rod, perch | gender, gender, pepper | 5.0292 m |
| furlong | furlong | 201.16 m |
| mil | nice | 0.025 mm |
| line | line | 2.116 mm |
| hand | hand | 10.16 cm |
| chain | chain | 20.116 m |
| point | dot | 0.35 mm |
| inch | inch | 2.54 cm |
| foot | foot | 0.304 m |
| Square mile | Square mile | 258.99 ha |
| Square inch | Sq. inch | 6.4516 s m² |
| square yard | Sq. yard | 0.83 613 cm² |
| Square feet | Sq. foot | 929.03 cm² |
| Square rod | Sq. genus | 25.293 cm² |
| acre | acre | 4046.86 m² |
| rod | ore | 1011.71 m² |
Weight, Mass (Weight) |
||
| long tone | big ton | 907 kg |
| short tone | small ton | 1016 kg |
| chaldron | Cheldron | 2692.5 kg |
| pound | lb. | 453.59 g |
| ounce, oz | ounce | 28.349 g |
| quintal | quintal | 50.802 kg |
| short hundredweight | central | 45.36 kg |
| Hundredweight | Hundredweight | 50.8 kg |
| tod | tod | 12.7 kg |
| short quarter | quarter short | 11.34 kg |
| dram | drachma | 1.77 g |
| grain | gran | 64.8 mg |
| stone | stone | 6.35 kg |
Volume (Capacity) |
||
| barrel petroleum | barrel of oil | 158.97 l |
| barrel | barrel | 163.6 l |
| pint | pint | 0.57 l |
| bushel | bushel | 35.3 l |
| cubic yard | Cubic yard | 0.76 m³ |
| cubic feet | Cube foot | 0.02 m³ |
| cubic inch | Cube inch | 16.3 cm³ |
| liquid ounce | Fluid ounce | 28.4 ml |
| quart | quart | 1.136 l |
| gallon | gallon | 4.54 l |
| Melchizedek | Melchizedek | 30 l |
| Primat | Primate | 27 l |
| Balthazar | Belshazzar | 12 l |
| Methuselah | Methuselah | 6 l |
| Melchior | Cupronickel | 18 l |
| Jeroboam | Jeroboam | 3 l |
| Magnum | magnum | 1.5 l |
| Rehoboam | Rehoboam | 4.5 l |
Some indicators are given as approximate values. In printed form you can find abbreviations, but, more often than not, you can guess the full name from the abbreviations. To convert the desired unit into the lengths we need, meters, liters, and kilograms and other weight indicators, we can use rounding, division and multiplication.
If you are not going to live in the USA, Australia, England or Canada, then you can simply look at this table. But if you're going to work,