How to Convert from Metric to Customary

The metric system is a type of measuring system used throughout the world, such as in Canada and Europe. The U.S. Customary system is the measuring system used mainly in the United States. These two systems serve a variety of measurement types, such as length, area, mass, volume and temperature. If you know how many units you have in the metric system and want to convert it to the Customary system, you need to know the conversion factor.

Instructions

1

Choose your metric unit to convert. For example, assume a length of 4 m. Metric units include meters for length, liters for volume, hectares for area, degrees Celsius for temperature, and grams for mass. Metric units can also have prefixes, such as kilo-, centi-, and milli-.

2

Determine which Customary unit you want to convert the metric unit to. Be sure you choose a properly corresponding unit: convert a length measurement in metric units to a length measurement in Customary units. Examples of Customary units include feet for length, acres for land area, gallons for volume, degrees Fahrenheit for temperature and pounds for weight.

3

Find the conversion factor on a conversion chart such as the one available in Resources. In the example, 1 m equals 3.28 feet.

4

Multiply the number of metric units by the conversion factor. In the example, 4 m times 3.28 feet equals 13.12 feet.