When did metric take over?

[NCjeeper]

 

[Jeff.64]

The only countries that use inch are USA, Myanmar (Burma) and Liberia. I think there is an interstate in Arizona or Nevada that still uses metric only signage. If we used metric, we would have had better social distancing i.e., we used 2 yards (6 feet) and the rest of the world used 2 meters, a whole 6.74 more inches On an inspection drawing I set one of the dimensions in cubits and waited patiently for someone to question the drawing. No one said a word. So I took the second drawing with all inch dimensions to inspection and inquired about the one with the cubit dimension. They didn't want to ask because they did not know what a cubit was. So much for my fun at work. Over the next few days, I casually surveyed my coworkers and found almost no one had ever heard of a cubit I guess I should have used angstroms.

I guess if you work on newer equipment, leaning toward metric might be good. But if you do a lot of work on vintage equipment, heavier stock on SAE might make more sense.

 

[Batmanacw]

The only countries that use inch are USA, Myanmar (Burma) and Liberia. I think there is an interstate in Arizona or Nevada that still uses metric only signage. If we used metric, we would have had better social distancing i.e., we used 2 yards (6 feet) and the rest of the world used 2 meters, a whole 6.74 more inches On an inspection drawing I set one of the dimensions in cubits and waited patiently for someone to question the drawing. No one said a word. So I took the second drawing with all inch dimensions to inspection and inquired about the one with the cubit dimension. They didn't want to ask because they did not know what a cubit was. So much for my fun at work. Over the next few days, I casually surveyed my coworkers and found almost no one had ever heard of a cubit I guess I should have used angstroms.

I guess if you work on newer equipment, leaning toward metric might be good. But if you do a lot of work on vintage equipment, heavier stock on SAE might make more sense.

Your conclusion matches mine pretty closely. I really don't know what will come in. I'm just going to bite the bullet and get plenty of both.

The SAE coarse assortment will be in today and the 3-8mm assortment will be in Tuesday. Next pay I'll buy the 8-16mm set and the SAE fine set.

Beyond the sizes in the assortments I'll just plan on ordering as needed.

 

[Aaron_W]

The only countries that use inch are USA, Myanmar (Burma) and Liberia.

That is not true, that information came from a poorly researched article and is constantly re-reported by metric propagandists.

They ignored countries like the UK because they are "officially" metric yet like the US still use a lot of Imperial (correct term in the UK) measurements, like the USA uses US Customary unit (not Imperial they are different systems with much in common). Funny thing is the USA is also officially metric, US Customary system has been defined by the metric system meter and kilogram since 1893. The UK did not define Imperial measurement with the metric system until 1985.

 

[atunguyd]

Yep,,,, as well as tires are still using “American” rim sizes. I’m guessing they’re that way worldwide?????

Yep, same with screens. Mobile phones, PC's and TVs all measure and market their screen sizes in inches worldwide.

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[Jake M]

The US left metric conversion to what is practical, rather than a forced transition as in Australia and India. For all the wailing and gnashing of teeth, most everything that actually matters has mostly converted to metric. The holdouts are either strong personal preference, or awkward to convert.

Honestly where do you find heavy commercial use of US Customary measurement outside of building construction and land survey? Companies are welcome to sell metric bathroom scales, and meter sticks but they don't sell well in the US when people are provided with options.

Most products sold in the US are dual marked and often actually metric in size / wt. Even the US Customary system is defined by the metric system.

Despite the propaganda the US is far from the only country still accepting older systems of measurement, the UK uses a similar mix with highways marked in miles, and beer sold by pints. Canada still has some hold out industries and even France who invented the Metric system keeps a few non-metric standards around.

I won't disagree with this. I'll be the first to say that I can be a little sarcastic about it. You've gotta give me this though. It's been a hundred and fifty years..... One hundred and fifty years, and most of the American public still can't speak metric. That is a fail by any metric.

I still work on trucks, truck bodies, and landscape and construction equipment of all sizes and descriptions, that are metric, metric with inch, inch with metric, or full on no metric anything. It's a rare exception for any of it to be over ten or twelve years old. We are getting there, slowly....

 

[Aaron_W]

I won't disagree with this. I'll be the first to say that I can be a little sarcastic about it. You've gotta give me this though. It's been a hundred and fifty years..... One hundred and fifty years, and most of the American public still can't speak metric. That is a fail by any metric.

I still work on trucks, truck bodies, and landscape and construction equipment of all sizes and descriptions, that are metric, metric with inch, inch with metric, or full on no metric anything. It's a rare exception for any of it to be over ten or twelve years old. We are getting there, slowly....

I will not argue the the intelligence of the general public, as that is a losing proposition.

I was in second grade in 1976 so I was prep'd from a young age for the impending metrification of the USA. The ball was dropped along the way, but having lived through the past 50 years I have seen metric use increase in the US by leaps and bounds.
Since I was a kid my parents owned VWs and Toyotas. Owning an import car in the 1970s was a challenge, not only because of general unfamiliarity with the brand, but some smaller shops didn't even have metric tools. Not a problem these days.

The US went after the low hanging fruit, science, medicine, aircraft, automobiles. I live in a 110 year old house so I'm hoping we don't see a major shift to metric building materials before I'm too old to do my own repairs.

 

[pontiac428]

I lived in Europe for 11 years as an adult. I got so quick at converting between systems that it became transparent to me (minus a few decimals, but close enough like hand grenades and horseshoes). Plus I do my job in SI units (for the chemistry) and standard units (for the engineering). In the shop, I just don't care. I have English and metric measuring tools, English and metric wrenches, on and on... okay, not as many metric drills, but like I said, I really don't care unless I'm elbow deep in grease and feet in the air on a vehicle and I have the wrong wrench in my hand. Then I cuss the measuring system, believe it!

 

[Aaron_W]

I lived in Europe for 11 years as an adult. I got so quick at converting between systems that it became transparent to me (minus a few decimals, but close enough like hand grenades and horseshoes). Plus I do my job in SI units (for the chemistry) and standard units (for the engineering). In the shop, I just don't care. I have English and metric measuring tools, English and metric wrenches, on and on... okay, not as many metric drills, but like I said, I really don't care unless I'm elbow deep in grease and feet in the air on a vehicle and I have the wrong wrench in my hand. Then I cuss the measuring system, believe it!

Yep, if you use the systems you learn them. As a firefighter I could be on a medical aid and have to figure out a medication dosage in mg/kg (converting from the patient weight, usually provided in pounds), next call I could be running the pump, figuring out gallons per minute, and psi needed to overcome elevation and friction loss in feet, or the incident commander figuring out the current fire size in acres and how many more chains of line were required until we had a line around the fire.

 

[Boswell]

I use Decimal Imperial for the Mill and Lathe and Metric for the 3D Printer. No difference to me in one being easier or harder. I do have to slow down a bit when I have a part that needs operations on both the 3D printer and the Mill/Lathe as that is when I need to do a conversion.