Measurements

The U.S. is gradually adopting the Metric system, but most day-to-day measurements for cooking, clothing, and driving continue to use the English System.

Universal Converter

This link will convert just about anything to a unit of measure that makes sense to you. View the Universal Converter.

Common uses of the English System in American English

Temperature is expressed in Fahrenheit degrees. Ex: "It's real scorcher today at almost 90 degrees."

Personal height is expressed in feet and inches. Ex: "I'm 5 feet, 11 (inches)."

Personal weight for adults is expressed in pounds. Ex: "I weigh 155 pounds."

At the supermarket, you might ask the butcher for "2 pounds of ground turkey and a pound of beef."

Other cooking quantities are expressed in a variety of terms: Ex: "This recipe calls for 3 ounces of butter, 2 cups of sugar, a pint of milk, a tablespoon of oil, and a teaspoon of salt."

Filling a car with petrol (gasoline), or "gas" as we say, is expressed in gallons. Ex: "I can usually fill-up on 10 gallons."

Distances between cities and driving speeds are expressed in miles and miles-per-hour. Ex: "It's 285 miles from Atlanta to Savannah. It will take about 4hrs to drive at 70 miles per hour (mph)."

Fuel economy is expressed in miles-per-gallon. Ex: "With fuel costs rising, smaller cars that get around 40 miles-per-gallon are gaining popularity."