Which countries use the imperial system?

There are many ways to measure something, such as distance, and depending on who you ask or where you are in the world, you could get a completely different answer. The reason is that there are different systems of measurement around the world: the Metric System and the imperial system.

You may even be using both systems daily without realizing it. So say you measure distance in kilometers. You’d be following the Metric System. However, if you buy your beer or milk in pints, you’re using the Imperial System.

That said, you’re more likely to encounter the Metric System as it is the preferred system of measurement in most places. Of course, it is still useful to be aware of the Imperial System and how it works as it does crop up every now and then—think old recipe books and travelling abroad!

With this in mind, we’re going to explore what the Imperial System is, who uses it, and how to convert Imperial units to Metric units. Let’s get started!

What is the Imperial System?

Also known as the British Imperial System, the Imperial System was the official system of measurements used in the United Kingdom from 1824 until 1965—the latter being the year in which the Metric system was adopted.

Despite the Imperial System reaching official status in 1824, it is suggested that many of the units featured in it can be traced back to the Romans, Egyptians, and Anglo-Saxons.

For example, the Romans used a unit of measurement called a ‘pes’ which means foot. This further supports the idea that anthropomorphic measures have been consistently used throughout history.

Due to the inconsistencies prevalent with such measurements, the BritishEmpire introduced Royal standards so that future measurements were all based on the same original measure.

Three copies of the measures were made after a fire in the Palace of Westminster destroyed the old ones. To preserve the official measures from further damage and loss, the Board of Trade installed markers to represent the standard units of measurement in three spots around London. In fact, you can still see them in Trafalgar Square, the Great Hall of Guildhall, and near the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

What are the Imperial Units?

The Imperial System consists of many units of measurement, including the following:

• Mass/weight: ton, hundredweight, pound, pennyweight, ounce, dram, grain, stone, slug, quarter
• Length: mile, yard, foot, inch, barleycorn, chain, furlong, nautical mile, link, rod, fathom
• Area: square mile, perch, rood, acre
• Volume: fluid ounce, gill, pint, minim, quart, gallon, cup, bushel, peck, fluid ounce, fluid dram

Which countries use the Imperial System?

Only three countries officially use the Imperial System—the US, Myanmar, and Liberia. Elsewhere, Metric System is the official system of measurement.

Despite that, the UK and the US do use a mixture of both systems. The UK began adopting the Metric System in the 1980s, and in 2000, it became a legal requirement for traders to use Metric units for the sale of goods such as fresh produce—this was due to Britain joining the European Union (EU). However, since Britain has left the EU, there have been discussions to bring back the Imperial System and allow it to be used in an official capacity.

As for the US, the US Customary System (which is based on the British Imperial System) is still widely used today. It was introduced during the Industrial Revolution and has been used in manufacturing since.

The US has not officially moved to the Metric System because it would be too expensive to convert all the machines and equipment to Metric units. Although both Metric and Imperial are taught in US schools.

What is the difference between the Imperial and Metric Systems?

The most prominent difference between Imperial and Metric systems is the relationship betweenthe units in each system. The Metric System is based on a decimal system where there are seven units that form the foundations for the whole system:

• Length: meter
• Mass: kilogram
• Time: second
• Amount of a substance: mole
• Electric current: ampere
• Temperature: kelvin
• Luminosity: candela

Each of these units is based on a power of ten. As a result, there are clear relations between all the units in the system.

For example, if you take the base unit of one meter, it is equal to 100 centimeters or 1000 millimeters. On the other hand, Imperial units have been around far longer than Metric units, so the relationships between them are not as structured.

When it comes to comparing Imperial and Metric units, there are far more Imperial units. This is shown in the following comparison table

How do you convert Imperial units to Metric units?

Converting Imperial units to Metric units requires you to use multiplication formulas. There are many reasons you may need to do this, such as needing to convert measurements in cooking and baking recipes.

The quickest and easiest way to do this is to use an online unit convertor, as it does all the work for you. However, you can also use the following tables to convert Imperial units to Metric units yourself:

Length:

Area:

Mass:

Volume: