What Are the Units for Weight in the Metric System?

The metric system is a system of measurements officially adopted in all but a handful of countries, among them the United States and United Kingdom. Even in these countries, however, it is used for science, some sports measurements and other everyday things. The metric system is also known as the System of International Units (SI). Weight is referred to as mass in the metric system.

Grams

The gram is the base unit for all metric weight measurements. The gram is equal to 0.035 oz., and 28.35 g are equal to 1 oz.

Kilogram

The kilogram is perhaps the most commonly used measure of weight in the metric system. The kilogram is equal to 2.21 lb., and 0.45 kilograms are equal to a pound. A kilogram is equal to 1,000 g.

Metric Ton

The metric ton is the largest common measure of weight in the metric system. The metric ton is equal to 1.10 U.S. tons, or 0.98 U.K. tons, and one U.S. ton is equal to 0.91 metric tons. (One U.K. ton is equal to 1.02 metric tons.) A metric ton is equal to 1,000 kilograms.

Other Measurements

The metric system is based on prefixes for the unit gram that alter its value. Common prefixes and weight values are gigagram (10^9 g), megagram (10^6 g), hectogram (100 g), decagram (10 g), decigram (0.1 g), centigram (0.01 g) and milligram (0.001 g).