The next time your friend Jacques takes you for a ride in his Citroën deux-chevaux , careening down a narrow, tree-lined French country road, passing and darting in front of other cars with centimeters to spare before oncoming traffic speeds by, perhaps you'll be grateful to know that: (1.) Any speed seems faster in a deux-chevaux, (2.) Europeans have always been more in tune with the tolerances of their vehicles than Americans, and (3.) The 100 kilometers per hour you see on his speedometer is really only 60 miles per hour. Phew! (It's also reassuring that this classic vehicle can stop on a dime.)
That said, you will no doubt find it practical, from time to time, to convert weights and measures between the Imperial and the Metric systems. If you're using a pocket calculator, the tables below will give you the basics but our nifty JavaScript calculators will perform the conversions directly in your browser in real time! Try them out. Not that the average tourist will need to convert metric horsepower to megajoules everyday, but many of these can be truly useful. Let us know what you think!
If you plan to shop for clothes or shoes, you will find the sizing standards different in the U.S., U.K. and the continent. Consult our sizing chart before you shop (or print out this page and take it with you), to be sure of getting it right!
Metric Conversions | |
LIQUID VOLUME | |
To convert | Multiply by |
U.S. gallons to liters | 3.8 |
Liters to U.S. gallons | .26 |
U.S. gallons to Imperial gallons | .83 |
Imperial gallons to U.S. gallons | 1.20 |
Imperial gallons to liters | 4.55 |
1 liter = .26 gal. or 1.8 pints; 1 gal. = 3.8 liters | |
DISTANCE | |
To convert | Multiply by |
Inches to centimeters | 2.54 |
Centimeters to inches | .39 |
Feet to meters | .30 |
Meters to feet | 3.28 |
Yards to meters | .91 |
Meters to yards | 1.09 |
Miles to kilometers | 1.61 |
Kilometers to miles | .62 |
1 mile = 1.6km; 1km = .62 mile; 1 ft. = .30m or 30cm; 1m = 3.3 ft.; 1 inch = 2.54 cm |
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WEIGHT | |
To convert | Multiply by |
Ounces to grams | 28.35 |
Grams to ounces | .035 |
Pounds to kilograms | .45 |
Kilograms to pounds | 2.20 |
1 oz. = 28g; 1g = .04 oz.; 1 lb. = .45kg; 1kg = 2.2 lb. | |
TEMPERATURE | |
To convert °F to °C, subtract 32 and multiply by 5/9 (.555) | |
To convert °C to °F, multiply by 1.8 and add 32. |
Clothing Size Conversion | |||||||||
WOMEN'S CLOTHING | |||||||||
American | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | |||
Continental | 36 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 44 | 46 | |||
British | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | |||
WOMEN'S SHOES | |||||||||
American | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |||
Continental | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | |||
British | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |||
CHILDREN'S CLOTHING | |||||||||
American | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6X | ||||
Continental | 98 | 104 | 110 | 116 | 122 | ||||
British | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | ||||
CHILDREN'S SHOES | |||||||||
American | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Continental | 24 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
British | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 1 | 2 |
MEN'S SUITS | |||||||||
American | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 44 | 46 | 48 | |
Continental | 44 | 46 | 48 | 50 | 52 | 54 | 56 | 58 | |
British | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 44 | 46 | 48 | |
MEN'S SHIRTS | |||||||||
American | 14½ | 15 | 15½ | 16 | 16½ | 17 | 17½ | 18 | |
Continental | 37 | 38 | 39 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | |
British | 14½ | 15 | 15½ | 16 | 16½ | 17 | 17½ | 18 | |
MEN'S SHOES | |||||||||
American | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | ||
Continental | 39½ | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44½ | 46 | 47 | ||
British | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
Conversion Calculators | |||
Alcohol Equivalents Area Equivalents Currency Converter Density Equivalents Energy Equivalents Force Equivalents Fuel Consumption Equivalents Length & Distance Equivalents Mass & Weight Equivalents Power Equivalents Pressure Equivalents Temperature Equivalents Velocity Equivalents Volume Equivalents |
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