Notes on 15 U.S.C. § 205 : US Code - Notes
Search Notes on 15 U.S.C. § 205 : US Code - Notes
(R.S. Sec. 3570.)
MEASURES OF LENGTH
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Metric denominations and values Equivalents in
denominations in use
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Myriameter 10,000 meters 6.2137 miles.
Kilometer 1,000 meters 0.62137 mile, or
3,280 feet and 10
inches.
Hectometer 100 meters 328 feet and 1 inch.
Dekameter 10 meters 393.7 inches.
Meter 1 meter 39.37 inches.
Decimeter 1/10 of a meter 3.937 inches
Centimeter 1/100 of a meter 0.3937 inch.
Millimeter 1/1000 of a meter 0.0394 inch.
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MEASURES OF CAPACITY
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Metric denominations and values Equivalents in
denominations in use
Names Number Cubic measure Dry Liquor or
of measure wine
liters measure
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Kiloliter, 1,000 1 cubic meter 1.308 264.17
or stere cubic gallons.
yards.
Hectoliter 100 1/10 of a cubic 2 bushels 26.417
meter. and 3.35 gallons.
pecks.
Dekaliter 10 10 cubic decimeters. 9.08 quarts 2.6417
gallons.
Liter 1 1 cubic decimeter. 0.908 quart 1.0567
quarts.
Deciliter 1/10 1/10 of a cubic 6.1022 0.845 gill.
decimeter. cubic
inches.
Centiliter 1/100 10 cubic 0.6102 0.338
centimeters. cubic inch. fluid
ounce.
Milliliter 1/1000 1 cubic centimeter. 0.061 0.27 fluid
cubic inch. dram.
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MEASURES OF SURFACE
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Metric denominations and values Equivalents in
denominations in use
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Hectare 10,000 square meters 2.471 acres.
Are 100 square meters 119.6 square yards.
Centare 1 square meter 1,550 square
inches.
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WEIGHTS
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Metric denominations and values Equivalents in
denominations in
use (avoirdupois
weight)
Names Number of Weight of what
grams quantity of
water at maximum
density
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Millier or tonneau 1,000,000 1 cubic meter 2,204.6 pounds
Quintal 100,000 1 hectoliter 220.46 pounds.
Myriagram 10,000 10 liters 22.046 pounds.
Kilogram or kilo 1,000 1 liter 2.2046 pounds.
Hectogram 100 1 deciliter 3.5274 ounces.
Dekagram 10 10 cubic 0.3527 ounce.
centimeters
Gram 1 1 cubic 15.432 grains.
centimeter
Decigram 1/10 1/10 of a cubic 1.5432 grains.
centimeter
Centigram 1/100 10 cubic 0.1543 grain.
millimeters
Milligram 1/1000 1 cubic 0.0154 grain.
millimeter
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CODIFICATION
R.S. Sec. 3570 derived from act July 28, 1866, ch. 301, Sec. 2,
14 Stat. 339, 340.
U.S. CUSTOMARY SYSTEM OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES - COMMERCIAL WEIGHTS
AND MEASURES UNITS
A notice by the Director of the National Bureau of Standards [now
National Institute of Standards and Technology] dated July 15,
1968, and published in the Federal Register (33 F.R. 10755, July
27, 1968), provided that:
By virtue of the authority vested in the Secretary of Commerce by
15 U.S.C. 272 and delegated to the National Bureau of Standards by
Department Order 90-A, the Bureau is charged with the
responsibility for "The custody, maintenance, and development of
the national standards of measurement, * * *." The method employed
for disseminating information on weights and measures units has
been through official National Bureau of Standards publications.
However, all such units have never been listed together in any
Federal legislation or in the Federal Register. On February 27,
1968, in the House Committee on Science and Astronautics Report No.
1107, accompanying H.R. 13058, legislation to repeal the Standard
Container Act of August 31, 1916 (39 Stat. 673; 15 U.S.C. 251-256),
and the Standard Container Act of May 21, 1928 (45 U.S.C. 685; 15
U.S.C. 257-257i), and amend the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of
November 3, 1966 (80 Stat. 1296; 15 U.S.C. 1451), the following
Committee view was expressed:
Testimony revealed that although, standard weights and measures
are defined in publications by the Bureau of Standards, these
definitions are not defined by law nor have they been published in
the Federal Register. Consequently, the Committee recommends that
the Secretary of Commerce cause to be published in the Federal
Register a listing of the common weights and measures used in
normal commerce throughout the United States and relate them to the
standards developed in accordance with existing law, 15 U.S.C. 272.
Commercial units of weight and measure in common use are based on
the yard and the avoirdupois pound. The yard and avoirdupois pound
were last defined in the Federal Register of July 1, 1959, in terms
of the national standards of length and mass: The meter and the
National Prototype Kilogram. From the two units, the yard and the
pound, are derived all other U.S. Customary multiple and
submultiple units that will be found in ordinary commerce. They are
defined as:
1 yard=0.914 4 meter (!1)
1 pound (avoirdupois)=0.453 592 37 kilogram (!1)
LINEAR MEASURE
U.S. CUSTOMARY
12 inches=1 foot=0.304 8 meter (!1)
3 feet=1 yard=1.914 4 meter (!1)
5,280 feet=1 statute mile=1,609 kilometers
6,076.115 feet=1 International Nautical Mile=1.852 kilometers (!1)
METRIC
10 millimeters=1 centimeter
10 centimeters=1 decimeter
10 decimeters=1 meter
10 meters=1 dekameter
10 dekameters=1 hectometer
10 hectometers=1 kilometer
AREA MEASURE
U.S. CUSTOMARY
144 square inches=1 square foot=.0.092 9 square meter
9 square feet=1 square yard=0.886 1 square meter
43,560 square feet=1 acre=0.404 7 hectare
640 acres=1 square mile=259 hectares
1 square mile=1 section=259 hectares
36 sections=1 township=932 4 hectares
METRIC
100 square millimeters=1 square centimeter
10,000 square centimeters=1 square meter
100 square meters=1 are
100 ares=1 hectare
100 hectares=1 square kilometer
WEIGHT
U.S. CUSTOMARY (AVOIRDUPOIS)
437.5 grains=1 ounce=28.349 5 grams
7,000 grains=1 pound=0.453 592 37 kilogram
16 ounces=1 pound=0.453 592 37 kilogram
2,000 pounds=1 short ton=0.907 2 metric ton
2,240 pounds=1 long ton=1.016 metric tons
METRIC
10 milligrams=1 centigram
10 centigrams=1 decigram
10 decigrams=1 gram
10 grams=1 dekagram
10 dekagrams=1 hectogram
10 hectograms=1 kilogram
1,000 kilograms=1 metric ton
CAPACITY, OR VOLUME, LIQUID MEASURE
U.S. CUSTOMARY
1 gallon=231 cubic inches=3.785 4 liters
4 fluid ounces=1 gill=0.118 3 liter
4 gills=1 pint=0.473 2 liter
2 pints=1 quart=0.946 4 liter
4 quarts=1 gallon=3.785 4 liters
METRIC
10 milliliters=1 centiliter
10 centiliters=1 deciliter
10 deciliters=1 liter
10 liters=1 dekaliter
10 dekaliters=1 hectoliter
10 hectoliters=1 kiloliter
CAPACITY, OR VOLUME, DRY MEASURE
U.S. CUSTOMARY
1 bushel=2,150.42 cubic inches=35.239 1 liters
2 dry pints=1 dry quart=1.101 2 liters
8 dry quarts=1 peck=8.809 8 liters
4 pecks=1 bushel=35.239 1 liters
The accepted volume of a barrel in the United States varies
significantly depending both on the commodity for which it is used
and on how it is defined in State law (varying from State-to-
State).
METRIC
The volumetric units are the same for both liquid and dry measure
in the Metric System.
CUBIC MEASURE
U.S. CUSTOMARY
1,728 cubic inches=1 cubic foot=0.028 316 8 cubic meter
27 cubic feet=1 cubic yard=0.764 554 9 cubic meter
METRIC
1,000 cubic millimeters=1 cubic centimeter
1,000 cubic centimeters=1 cubic decimeter
1,000 cubic decimeters=1 cubic meter
SPECIAL UNITS
The unit used for the sale of firewood is the cord of 128 cubic
feet.
The unit used for the sale of precious stones is the Metric Carat
of 200 milligrams.
The units used for over-the-counter sales of precious metals in
the United States are troy units.
TROY WEIGHT
24 grains=1 pennyweight=1.555 17 grams
20 pennyweights=1 ounce troy=31.103 47 grams
12 ounces troy=1 pound troy=0.373 242 kilogram
The apothecaries system of units, once widely used in the United
States for pharmaceutical purposes, is now used only very little.
Usage of the Metric System has replaced the apothecaries system at
the manufacturing level, and at most of the retail level.
ELECTRICITY AND NATURAL GAS
When a consumer is billed for having used electricity, what has
been sold is electrical energy, and that energy is expressed in
terms of kilowatt-hours. One kilowatt-hour equals 3,600,000 joules
(the joule is the unit of energy in the International System of
Units).
Consumption of natural gas normally is expressed in terms of
therms. One therm equals 105,480,400 joules.
(!1) Denotes exact figures.