Editing Metrication (section)

===United States===
{{See also|Metrication in the United States|}}

[[File:Measuring cup.jpg|thumb|A measuring cup, manufactured and sold in the United States (circa 1980), features graduations in both metric and US customary systems. Held in the right hand, a person would have the metric graduations in front, facing them; but they might hold it in their left hand, and read from the customary graduations.]]

Over time, the metric system has influenced the United States through international trade and standardisation. The use of the metric system was made legal as a system of measurement in 1866<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/laws/metric-act.html |title=Metric Act of 1866 |website=USMA |publisher=U.S. Metric Association |access-date=24 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010211054/http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/laws/metric-act.html |archive-date=10 October 2014}}</ref> and the United States was a founding member of the [[International Bureau of Weights and Measures]] in 1875.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/laws/metric-convention.html |title=Metric Convention of 1875 |website=USMA |publisher=U.S. Metric Association |access-date=24 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050301093830/http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/laws/metric-convention.html |archive-date=1 March 2005}}</ref> The system was officially adopted by the federal government in 1975 for use in the military and government agencies, and as preferred system for trade and commerce.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/laws/metric-conv.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030714062847/http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/laws/metric-conv.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 July 2003 |title=Metric Conversion Act of 1975 |website=USMA |publisher=U.S. Metric Association |access-date=24 November 2014}}</ref> Attempts in the 1990s to make it mandatory for federal and state road signage to use metric units failed and it remains voluntary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/laws/natl-highway.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021214182707/http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/laws/natl-highway.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 December 2002 |title=National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 |website=USMA |publisher=U.S. Metric Association |access-date=24 November 2014}}</ref>

A 1992 amendment to the [[Fair Packaging and Labeling Act|Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA)]], which took effect in 1994, required labels on federally regulated "consumer commodities"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/laws/fpla.html#1459 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021214183930/http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/laws/fpla.html#1459 |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 December 2002 |title=Fair Packaging and Labeling Act |website=USMA |publisher=U.S. Metric Association |access-date=24 November 2014}}</ref> to include both [[SI|metric]] and [[US customary units]]. As of 2013, all but one US state ([[New York (state)|New York]]) have passed laws permitting metric-only labels for the products they regulate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/#newyork |title=U.S. Metric Association (USMA) |website=USMA |publisher=U.S. Metric Association |access-date=24 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121220212344/http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/#newyork|archive-date=20 December 2012}}</ref>

After many years of informal or optional metrication, the American public and much of the private business and industry still use US customary units today.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/1999/01/waits-and-measures/ |date=January 1999 |title=Waits and Measures |work=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] |first=Jason |last=Zengerle |access-date=24 November 2014 |archive-date=19 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219194108/http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1999/01/waits-and-measures |url-status=live }}</ref> At least two states, Kentucky and California, have even moved towards demetrication of highway construction projects.<ref>{{cite web |title=Design Memorandum No. 11-98: English Conversion |date=4 November 1998 |access-date=20 October 2023 |website=transportation.ky.gov |url=http://transportation.ky.gov/design/memos/11-98.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124224700/http://transportation.ky.gov/design/memos/11-98.htm |archive-date=24 November 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dot.ca.gov/design/stp/memo/metric-to-english-transition.pdf|title=Metric to U.S. Customary Units (English) Transition|access-date=15 December 2017|publisher=Dot.ca.gov|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216091109/http://www.dot.ca.gov/design/stp/memo/metric-to-english-transition.pdf|archive-date=16 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.dot.ca.gov/design/stp/memo/UOM-Metric_or_English.pdf |title=Declaration of Units of Measure—"Metric" or "English" Project |date=16 June 2006 |publisher=State of California, Department of Transportation |first=Richard D. |last=Land |access-date=15 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216034812/http://www.dot.ca.gov/design/stp/memo/UOM-Metric_or_English.pdf |archive-date=16 December 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>