Metric Measurements, Temperature, Time, Date & Clothing Sizes
In 1799, the French gave the world the metric system. To help you, here are some commonly used metric units and their U.S. equivalents.
Lengths:
|
Metric Unit |
U.S. Equivalent |
Centimeter (cm) |
0.01 m |
0.39 inches |
Decimeter (dm) |
0.1 m |
0.328 feet |
Meter (m) |
1 m |
1.094 yards |
Hectometer (hm) |
100 m |
109.44 yards |
Kilometer (km) |
1000 m |
0.621 miles |
The reverse calculation is:
1 inch = 2.54 cm
1 foot = 30.48 cm
1 yard = 0.914 m
1 mile = 1.609 km
Liquid measures:
|
Metric Unit |
U.S. Equivalent |
Milliliter (ml) |
0.001 liters |
0.0338 fl. oz. |
Centiliter (c) |
0.01 m |
0.338 fl. oz. |
Deciliter (l) |
0.1 liters |
0.423 cups |
Liter (m) |
1 liter |
1.057 quarts |
Hectoliter (hl) |
100 liters |
26.417 gallons |
The reverse calculation is:
1 fl. oz. = 29.57 ml
1 cup = 2.37 dl
1 quart = 0.95 l
1 gallon = 3.79 l
Weights
|
Metric Unit |
U.S. Equivalent |
Milligram (mg) |
0.001 g |
0.015 grains |
Gram (g) |
1 g |
0.035 ounces |
Hectogram (hg) |
100 g |
0.221 pounds |
Kilogram (kg) |
1000 g |
2.205 pounds |
Mileage (Speed)
To convert kilometers per hour (kph) to miles per hour (mph):
Kilometers per hour (kph) = miles per hour (mph) x 1.61
Miles per hour (mph) = kilometers per hour (kph) x 0.621
Temperature
To convert Celsius (C) degrees to Fahrenheit (F) degrees:
Celsius (C) degrees = Fahrenheit (F) temperature minus 32° x 5, then divided by 9
Fahrenheit (F) degrees = Celsius (C) temperature x 9 divided by 5, plus 32°
Time and Date
France uses the 24 hour military clock rather than the AM and PM system. The day begins at 1:00 for 1 AM and continues to 24:00 for midnight. For example:
7 AM = 7:00 heures
7 PM = 19:00 heures
The French list the date as day-month-year rather than month-day-year. When writing out the date, the French do not capitalize the month unless it appears at the beginning of a sentence. For example:
4/7/65 in the US means April 7, 1965. In France this means july 4, 1965.
Clothing and Shoe Sizes
Women’s dresses, sweaters, shirts |
Women’s shoes |
Europe |
USA |
UK |
Europe |
USA |
UK |
36 |
6 |
8 |
36 |
5 |
3 |
38 |
8 |
10 |
37 |
6 |
4 |
40 |
10 |
12 |
38 |
7 |
5 |
42 |
12 |
14 |
39 |
8 |
6 |
44 |
14 |
16 |
40 |
9 |
7 |
46 |
16 |
18 |
41 |
10 |
8 |
48 |
18 |
20 |
42 |
11 |
9 |
Men’s shirts |
Men’s suits |
Men’s shoes |
Europe |
USA/UK |
Europe |
USA/UK |
Europe |
USA |
UK |
36 |
14 |
44 |
34 |
40 |
7 |
6 |
37 |
14½ |
46 |
36 |
41 |
8 |
7 |
38 |
15 |
48 |
38 |
42 |
9 |
8 |
39 |
15½ |
50 |
40 |
43 |
10 |
9 |
40 |
16 |
52 |
42 |
44 |
11 |
10 |
41 |
16½ |
54 |
44 |
45 |
12 |
11 |
42 |
17 |
56 |
46 |
46 |
13 |
12 |
