The US Metric Association (USMA), based in

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that advocates for

total conversion Video game modding (short for "modification") is the process of alteration by players or fans of one or more aspects of a video game, such as how it looks or behaves, and is a sub-discipline of general modding. Mods may range from small changes an ...

of the United States to the

International System of Units The International System of Units, known by the international abbreviation SI in all languages and sometimes pleonastically as the SI system, is the modern form of the metric system and the world's most widely used system of measurement. E ...

(SI). Founded on 27 December 1916 at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, it was originally called the American Metric Association. The USMA publishes a bi-monthly newsletter for its members on the state of the metric system in the United States: ''

Metric Today ''Metric Today'' is the bi-monthly newsletter of the US Metric Association. It features the latest developments in US metrication efforts. It has been published continuously since 1966, and is distributed to each member of the US Metric Associatio ...

''.

Background

The

Metric Act of 1866 The Metric Act of 1866, also known as the Kasson Act, is a piece of United States legislation that legally protected use of the metric system in commerce from lawsuit, and provided an official conversion table from U.S. customary units. History ...

declared the metric system to be "lawful throughout the United States of America" and in all business dealings and court proceedings. At an international commercial congress the Treaty of the Meter, also known as the

Metre Convention The Metre Convention (french: link=no, Convention du Mètre), also known as the Treaty of the Metre, is an international treaty that was signed in Paris on 20 May 1875 by representatives of 17 nations (Argentina, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Brazi ...

(''Convention du Mètre'') of 1875 was signed by 17 countries, including the US, making the metric system the international system of weights and measures. Note that this was a meeting of international states to facilitate commerce. This treaty, then, falls under the overview of the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

, which has devolved oversight to the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bu ...

. The

Mendenhall Order The Mendenhall Order marked a decision to change the fundamental standards of length and mass of the United States from the customary standards based on those of England to metric standards. It was issued on April 5, 1893, by Thomas Corwin Mend ...

of 1893 scrapped the previously used standards and definitions for the yard, pound, gallon, and bushel. It adopted the standards of the metric system and redefined the yard, pound, gallon, and bushel in terms of metric units. The

Metric Conversion Act The Metric Conversion Act of 1975 is an Act of Congress that U.S. President Gerald Ford signed into law on December 23, 1975. It declared the metric system "the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce", but ...

of 1975 started a voluntary metrication process in the US and, as amended by the

Omnibus Foreign Trade and Competitiveness Act The Omnibus Foreign Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 is an act passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan. History During the 1970s, the U.S. trade surplus slowly diminished and turned into an in ...

of 1988, declared the metric system to be “the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce”.

Mission of the USMA

The US Metric Association (USMA) advocates the completion of the ongoing US conversion to the metric system, officially known as the International System of Units (SI). In support of this mission, the USMA provides a public medium for information and discussion, reports of metrication within the US, a history of the use of metric units in the US, a related bibliography including relevant laws, an answer source for industrial inquiries, a cadre of people knowledgeable about the metric system, training aids and supplies for educators and the public, a certification program that has been used in industry, and various citations and awards for those supporting this mission. The USMA is in cooperative communication with various state and federal governments, both legislative and executive, and various industrial and professional societies, such as the

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

(IEEE), many of whom are involved in standards development.

Short-term goals

The labeling of some goods as to the amount included is regulated by the federal government, for example by means of the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA). Some goods are labeled by states or weight-and-measure districts, usually in a manner described by the Uniform Packaging and Labeling Regulation (published by the

National Conference on Weights and Measures The National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to developing the United States technical standards for weights and measures in commerce. The organization's official mission is "Ensuring Equity and ...

). Some goods have no labeling guidance.

Complete adoption of the UPLR

The National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) published a revised model Uniform Packaging and Labeling Regulation (UPLR) which went into effect on January 1, 2001. This has been adopted legislatively or by regulation by all but New York State. Once New York State adopts the UPLR, then goods sold in the US not subject to federal regulations and laws may have their contents labeled solely in metric units if that is the desire of the producer or manufacturer. Other producers and manufacturers may continue to provide dual labeling (metric and non-metric) if they so desire. Metric-only labeling would be merely an option. USMA would like to see the UPLR completely adopted.

Amendment of the FPLA

An amendment to the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA) has been proposed and is awaiting approval by Congress. This would permit goods sold in the US subject to federal regulations and laws to have their contents labeled solely in metric units if that is the desire of the producer or manufacturer. Other producers and manufacturers may continue to provide dual labeling (metric and non-metric) if they so desire. Metric-only labeling would be merely an option. USMA would like to see this FPLA amendment adopted.

References