Appendix 1: Common Units of Measure

In nutrition there are two systems of commonly used measurements: Metric and US Customary. We need both because the US hasn’t yet adopted the metric system completely.

These are commonly used prefixes for the Metric System

Micro- (u or mc) 1/1,000,000 (one millionth)
Milli- (m) 1/1000 (one thousandth)
Centi- (c) 1/100 (one hundredth)
Deci- (d) 1/10 (one tenth)
Kilo- (k) 1000x (one thousand times)

Measures of Mass

Metric System US Customary System Conversions
Microgram (ug or mcg) ounce (oz) 1 oz = 28.35 g
Milligram (mg) pound (lb) 1 lb = 16 oz
Gram (g) 1 lb = 454 g
Kilogram (kg) 1 kg = 2.205 lbs

Measures of Volume

Metric System US Customary System Conversions
Milliliter (mL) Teaspoon (t. or tsp) 1 tsp = 5 mL
Deciliter (dL) Tablespoon (T. or tbsp) 1 T. = 3 tsp = 15 mL
Liter (L) Fluid ounce (fl oz) 1 fl oz = 2 T. = 30 mL
Cup (c) 1 c = 8 fl oz = 237 mL
Pint (pt) 1 pt = 2 c = 16 fl oz
Quart (qt) 1 qt = 4 c = 32 fl oz = 0.95 L
Gallon (gal) 1 gal = 4 qt

Measures of Length

Metric System US Customary System Conversions
Millimeter (mm) Inch (in) 1 in = 25.4 mm = 2.54 cm
Centimeter (cm) Foot (ft) 1 ft = 12 in = 30.48 cm
Meter (m) Yard (yd) 1 yd = 3 ft = .9144 m
Kilometer (km) Mile (mi) 1 mile = 5280 ft = 1760 yd = 1.6 km

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Consumer Nutrition Copyright © 2021 by Megan Grimsley and Susan Kazen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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