Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Metric

NIST's work in the metric space includes:

  • basic research, such as our work on the dissemination of the SI (International System of Units, commonly known as the metric system)
  • a metric program that implements the national policy to establish the SI as the preferred system of weights and measures for U.S. trade and commerce. The metric program provides leadership and metrication assistance on SI use and conversion to federal agencies, state and local governments, businesses, trade associations, standards development organizations, educators, and the general public. The SI Teacher Kit is a collection of classroom instructional measurement resources available to U.S. educators.

Featured Videos

NIST Metric Kitchen: Baking Banana Bread Using the Metric System

NIST Metric Kitchen: Baking Banana Bread Using the Metric System

NIST Metric Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Cookies

NIST Metric Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pirates Plunder the Kilogram- NISTory

Pirates Plunder the Kilogram- NISTory

News and Updates

Recorded Webinars for Weights and Measures Available On-Demand!

OWM Recorded Webinars and Training Videos OWM develops and delivers a series of recorded webinars and training videos covering a wide range of legal metrology, metric (SI), and weights and measures topics. These e-learning video resources can be used for training and continuing education, both in a formal setting and through self-study. Below is the legacy news release from June 26, 2024: Webinar

C-RMAP 2025: “That’s A Wrap!”

Classroom-Ready: NIST Releases Updated Metric Ruler and Conversion Card

BIPM 150th Anniversary Standout Poster

Blog Posts

One of the World’s Roundest Objects Is Helping to Build a Better Mass Measurement

How Low Can Temperature Go? Lord Kelvin and the Science of Absolute Zero

A Scientific Christmas Tale

Was this page helpful?