[The Face of Dutch]

US and Metric Weights and Measures Compared

Slow Connections and Printer Version
The Metric System
Hear Dutch at the bottom of the page

Length

inches to millimeters (mm)

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

1 inch = 25.4 millimeter = 2.54 centimeter
1 millimeter = 0.04 inch
1 centimeter = 10 millimeter

inches to centimeters (cm)

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

1 inch = 2.54 cm
1 cm = 0.39 inch
12 inches = 1 foot = 30.48 centimeter

inches and feet to meters and centimeters

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

100 centimeters = 1 meter = 39.37 inches = 3.281 feet

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

feet to meters (m)

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

1 foot = 0.3048 meters = 30.48 centimeter
1 meter = 3.281 feet

yards to meters (m)

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

1 yard = 0.9144 meter
1 meter = 1.093 yard
1 yard = 3 feet = 36 inches

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

miles to kilometers (km)

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

1 mile = 1.60934 kilometer
1 kilometer = 0.62137 miles
1 kilometer = 1000 meters
1 mile = 5280 feet = 1760 yards

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

Please drive carefully

Volume

fluid ounces (fl. oz.) to milliliters (ml)

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

1 fluid ounce = 29.573 milliliter
1 ml = 0.0338 fl. oz.
8 fl. oz = 1 cup = 236.6 ml
1 Tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 15 ml
1 teaspoon = 5 ml
½ tsp = 2.5 ml
¼ tsp = 1.25 ml
1/8 tsp = .6 ml
a dash ('a few drops') = 1/8 teaspoon = .6 ml
a pinch = 1/16 teaspoon = .3 ml
a smidgen = ½ pinch = .15 ml
A Dutch Tablespoon is also 15 ml, but a Dutch teaspoon is 3 ml.

cups to liters (L)

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

1 pint = 2 cups = 0.473 liters
1 quart = 4 cups = 0.946 liters
1 gallon = 16 cups = 4 quarts = 3.785 liters
(The old English fluid ounce was 28.4 ml and the UK gallon was 4.54 liters)

gallons to liters

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

1 gallon = 3.785 liters
1 liter = 0.264 gallon

Weight

ounces to grams (g)

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

1 ounce = 28.35 grams
1 gram = 0.035 ounces

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

16 ounces = 1 pound = 453 grams = 0.453 kilograms
1 kilogram = 1000 grams = 2.205 pounds = 35.27 ounces

pounds to kilograms (kg)

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

1 pound = 0.453 kilograms
1 kilogram = 2.205 pounds

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

Temperature

Fahrenheit to Celsius (°C, Centigrade)

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

Water freezes at 0° Celsius (32° Fahrenheit)
Human body temperature is about 100° Fahrenheit (37.8° Celsius)
Water boils at 100° Celsius (212° Fahrenheit)

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

[a bar chart comparing imperial and metric dimensions]

The Metric System

The length of the basic unit, the meter, was kind-of arbitrarily chosen (one ten-thousandth of a quarter of the Paris meridian) - but all other units of the metric system of weights and measures flow from that meter in decimal fashion, multiples of ten or reductions to one-tenth.
length volume weight
millimeter (mm)1mm = 0.001m milligram (mg)1mg = 0.001g
centimeter (cm)1cm = 0.01m milliliter (ml)1ml = 1cm3
= 0.001L		 gram (g)1g = weight of
1cm3 water
decimeter (dm)1dm = 10cm = 0.1m liter (L)1L = 1dm3 = 1000cm3
(10x10x10cm)
meter (m)1m
kilometer (km)1km = 1000m kilogram (kg)1 kg = 1000g
= weight of 1L water

Hear Dutch
meter
centimeter
millimeter
kilometer
decimeter
hear 		(~ 1 yard)
(~ 4/10 inch)
(~ 1/25 inch)
(~ 6/10 mile)
(~ 4 inches)
kilo,
kilogram
gram
pond
ons
hear 		(~ 2 Lb)
(~ 2 Lb)
(~ 1/25 oz.)
(~ 1 Lb)
(~ 3 oz)
'Pond' (½ kilogram, 500 gram) and 'ons' (100 gram) are often used in Dutch shops, but are not official weights.
liter
milliliter
cc
kubieke centimeter (cm3)
hear 		(~ 4 cups)
(~ 1/25 fl. oz.)
(~ 1/25 fl. oz.)
(~ 1/25 fl. oz.)
temperatuur
graden
Celsius
koorts
hear 		(temperature)
(degrees)
(Celsius)
(fever)
lengte
hoogte
breedte
diepte
hear 		(length)
(height)
(width)
(depth)
afstand
oppervlakte
inhoud
gewicht
hear 		(distance)
(surface area)
(volume)
(weight)

[an old kilogram weight]
Numbers in Dutch - Science
Dutch Words and Phrases for Travelers - Everyday Dutch for Basic Conversation and Reading

I found the basic numbers in Chambers' Twentieth Century Dictionary and in The Merriam-Webster Dictionary; the Encyclopaedia Britannica provided the meter story.

Marco Schuffelen - email
copyright © 2006 Marco Schuffelen - All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Don't be a dief (thief) / dievegge (female thief) - diefstal (theft) - stelen (to steal) - heler (dealer in stolen goods) - hear Dutch - 2