How to Convert Imperial to Metric

The imperial system of measurement is a standard of units formalized by the British government while the metric system was created by France and forms the basis for the International System of Units. Most of the world uses the metric system, but in the United States and other areas influenced by Britain, the imperial system continues to influence everyday measurements including those for cooking and distances. As a consequence, you may have to convert from imperial to metric units. All you need is a list of conversion factors.

Instructions

1

Find the unit you need to convert on an imperial-to-metric conversion chart. Conversion charts list the equivalent units in each system and the factors you need to convert them.

2

Confirm that the conversion factor is dimensionally appropriate. This means you cannot use a conversion factor for liters, which is a unit of volume, to convert inches to liters. For the basic units of length, volume and mass this is simple, but for more complicated units such as acceleration or pressure, you could accidentally use the wrong conversion factor.

3

Multiply the number of your imperial units by their metric measurement per unit. For example, 1 inch is equal to 2.54 centimeters. Therefore, to convert 12 inches to centimeters, multiply 12 inches by 2.54 centimeters per inch to get 30.48 centimeters.