How to Convert Imperial Fractions to Metric

Imperial units are measurements used in the United States, as opposed to the metric system used in all other countries except Burma and Liberia. The metric system is a system of weights and measurements based on the decimal system where units are expressed in groups of ten. Imperial units include the yard (3 feet, or 0.9144 meters) the foot (12 inches, or 304.8 millimeters), the ounce (116 pounds, or 28.349523125 grams), and the ton (2240 pounds, or 1,016.0469088 kilograms). Converting Imperial fractions into metric amounts can be done manually or with online calculators.

Instructions

1

Measure the amount, weight or length of the item in the Imperial system. Convert the fraction of the measurement to a decimal place. To do this, divide the top number of the fraction by the bottom number. If your Imperial measurement is 6 7/8 inches, divide the 7 by 8 to get .875. The number is then 6.875.

2

Consult a metric conversion chart for the exact conversion formula you need. The formula is different for weights, lengths and fluid amounts. To continue the example above, if you have 6.875 ounces of liquid, you would multiply that amount by 28.413 ml to get total liters; in this case, 0.20 liters. If you have 6.875 inches, you would multiply that by 2.54 centimeters to get the total length in centimeters: 17.46 cm.

3

Double-check your calculations or have them done automatically for you online at one of these conversion websites: http://www.hoptechno.com/nightcrew/sante7000/convert.cfm; http://convert.french-property.co.uk/; http://www.onlineconversion.com/.