Metric Conversion Lookup Key Terms

Find a variety of sources for converting measurements

By Laurie Edwards

Whether you are traveling abroad or dealing with overseas customers, you will need to be able to convert measurements from the American, or possibly the Imperial, system to the metric system. Some of the basics you might need are miles to kilometers, feet to meters, pounds to kilograms and Fahrenheit to Celsius or Kelvin. To do this, you will need metric conversion lookup tools. Simple-to-use charts, automatic online converters, or hand-held calculators offer quick and easy ways to look up these metric conversions.

Metric conversion calculator

A hand-held metric conversion calculator is handy for metric conversion lookup. It's portable and can go with you wherever you go. Be sure the make or model you choose has the specific tables you need for your business or personal use.
Try: Calculator Source discusses the need for metric conversion lookup.

Distance conversion

Travelers in other countries often need to convert distances from kilometers to miles. Some hand-held devices are available that you can take along, but if you have access to a computer, you can also look up the information online.
Try: ILPI has an online calculator that can be used for distance conversion. It includes some unusual distance terms that are not included in most general metric conversion lookup charts.

Metric conversion charts

If you prefer to do the math calculations yourself, metric conversion charts are available that list the amounts you need to multiply by to convert from one system to the other.
Try: Science Made Simple has a metric conversion charts for for length, volume, weight and temperature.

Temperature conversions

If you want a metric conversion lookup for temperature, you need to find one that has both Celsius and Kelvin conversions, because both of these are metric measurements. Fahrenheit is the non-metric temperature measurement.
Try: The U.S. Metric Association offers a temperature conversion lookup, which includes a comparison of all three of the standard temperature measurements.

Weight conversion

If you are weighing items or mailing packages from overseas, you will want a metric conversion lookup for kilograms and pounds. Weight conversion calculators can be handy for this. In addition to hand-held calculators, many online sites offer built-in weight converters.
Try: The metric-conversions.org website has an automatic metric weight conversion calculator, and it explains how metric weights were originally determined.

Downloadable metric conversion calculators

For those who frequently need to use metric conversion lookup in their business or personal lives, a downloadable metric conversion calculator will simplify things. These are easily installed on your computer and will be readily available whenever you need to do quick calculations.
Try: Metrication.com offers a downloadable metric conversion calculator and provides instructions for installing it.