A Metric America:
"A Decision Whose Time Has Come" - For Real
(NISTIR 4858)
June 1992
U.S. Department of Commerce
Technology Administration
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Metric Program
Technology Services
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
Gary P. Carver
U.S. Department of Commerce
Barbara Hackman Franklin, Secretary
Technology Administration
Robert M. White, Under Secretary fur Technology
National Institute of Standards and Technology
John W. Lyons, Director
Document Content
ABSTRACT
The Metric Conversion Act of 1975 (amended
in 1988) and a 1991 Presidential Executive Order provide both the rationale
and the mandate for a transition to the use of metric units. Federal agencies
are developing and implementing metric transition plans, cooperating on
mutual concerns, and working with industry and user groups to establish
realistic schedules for change.
KEYWORDS
Metric; metrication; metric system; metric transition
Dr. Gary P. Carver is chief of the Metric Program
at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg,
MD. Prior to assuming responsibility for the Commerce Department's leading
role in federal agency metrication, Dr. Carver was a research physicist
in integrated circuit technology and a manager in the semiconductor and
manufacturing engineering areas at NIST His goal is to successfully eliminate
the need for his office.
INTRODUCTION
Twenty-one years ago, a National Bureau of Standards1
report to Congress, A Metric America: A Decision Whose Time Has
Come, described the United States as an island in a
metric world. The report's recommendations contributed to passage of the
1975 Metric Conversion Act. This Act raised the expectation of a 10-metric
system. However, the Act lacked a clearly stated objective and a timetable
for implementation. Possibly as a result, the voluntary metric transition
process eventually lost momentum.
In 1988, the growing influence of the metric system
of units as an international standard and the increasing competitive importance
of metric specifications for products in international commerce caused
Congress to respond by including "metric usage" provisions in
the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act. The Omnibus Trade Act amendments
strengthened the Metric Conversion Act of 1975. The amendments make each
federal agency responsible for implementing metric usage in grants, contracts
and other business-related activities, to the extent economically feasible,
by the end of fiscal year (FY) 1992. However, no statutory provision was
made for leadership and coordination of the overall effort.
On July 25, 1991, President Bush acted to fill the federal
metric transition leadership void by issuing Executive
Order 12770, "Metric Usage in Federal Government Programs."
It gives specific direction and new management authority to the Secretary
of Commerce to lead and coordinate implementation of the metric-usage
provisions of the Omnibus Trade Act. This responsibility was delegated
to the Under Secretary for Technology, with staff support to be provided
by the Office of Metric Programs at the Department of Commerce. The Department
of Commerce has long been concerned with the technical aspects of metric
usage through NIST's role as the nation's science and engineering laboratory
for measurement technology and research on standards. Since 1901, NIST
has played a major role in the evolution of a national measurement system
policy by providing the measurements, calibrations, data, and quality
assurance that are vital to U.S. commerce and industry. NIST also provides
technical support to the National Conference on Weights and Measures,
an organization of state, county, and city weights and measures enforcement
officials and associated business and consumer representatives.
A Rationale
and a Mandate
The amended Metric Conversion Act of 1975
and the 1991 Executive Order provide
both the rationale and the mandate for a transition to the use of metric
units. The rationale is the need to remove a trade impediment to U.S.
products, as well as to improve our efficiency and competitive edge, since
the modern metric system is now the international standard of measurement.
The metric system, for purposes of international trade, is more than just
the International System of Units (SI). It includes the product standards
and preferred sizes that are accepted by industries and governments throughout
the world. "World class products" must be built to metric specifications
to be competitive in the international marketplace.
The mandates in the law and Executive Order call for
the Federal Government to use the metric system in all of its business-related
activities, unless it is not economically feasible or is likely to cause
significant inefficiencies or loss of markets to U.S. firms. It is intended
that the Federal Government set an example and use its influence to catalyze
a transition to the metric system by U.S. industry. The Federal Government
uses measurements in many ways that influence business, including regulation,
data collection, publishing, and other services. The Federal Government
also is the largest customer of U.S. industry. By offering to buy metric
products and services, government can help industry make the transition
to the use of metric units of measurement.
In addition, by requesting metric products, the government
can demonstrate its commitment to the metric system of measurement
A Special
Year
The metric program is taking an evolutionary path to the statutory goals.
The federal agencies are developing and implementing transition plans,
cooperating on mutual concerns, and working with industry and user groups
to establish realistic schedules for change.
This year, 1992, is a special year in the implementation
of the mandate. The law requires that "each federal agency, by a
date certain and to the extent economically feasible by the end of FY
1992, use the metric system of measurement in its procurements, grants,
and other business-related activities..." The Executive Order requires
that agencies provide to the Secretary of Commerce, by June 30, 1992,
"an assessment of agency progress and problems, together with recommendations
for steps to assure successful implementation of the Metric Conversion
Act." The Executive Order also requires in 1992, as part of the annual
report to the President by the Secretary of Commerce, "recommendation
which the Secretary may have for additional measures, including proposed
legislation, needed to achieve the full economic benefits of metric usage."
This year is also special because more significant progress
is being made by federal agencies in metric usage than has been made in
any previous year. This will be viewed as a watershed year in the federal
metrication process. In 1990 a report on the federal metric program by
the Government Accounting Office was critical of the slow pace of progress.
Then, in 1991, a Congressional Research Service report documented a low
level of compliance with the metric usage mandate by the federal agencies.
A report on federal agency plans and the status of their execution that
will be issued this year by NIST, however, provides evidence that federal
agencies' metric transition progress is gaining great momentum.
Growing Interagency
Cooperation
Compliance with the spirit of the law and the Executive Order is significantly
improved over previous years. Many agencies have plans in place that describe
specific actions already underway and policies that promise complete transition
to using the metric system of units. But even more significantly, a growing
number of agencies are cooperating to address common issues and to deal
with shared problems. This is especially apparent among agencies whose
activities focus on procurement, regulatory, and small-business activities.
The interagency Metrication Operating Committee (MOC)
is composed of senior-level metric coordinators from the federal agencies.
The subcommittees of the MOC address specific topics of interest to several
different agencies. These areas include, for example, construction, education,
procurement, grants, standards, and federal employee training. Many agencies
participate in the activities of the subcommittees and benefit from the
combined efforts.
The Construction Subcommittee is one of the most active
and successful groups. It has attracted participants from private industry
and has published a metric-usage guide for commercial construction. The
subcommittee's work is funded by participating federal agencies, and its
members have visited Canada to explore the Canadian experience. Recently,
the National Institute of Building Sciences, which served as secretariat
for the subcommittee, created a Construction Metrication Council to build
on the work of the subcommittee and to enable even greater participation
by private industry. MOC agencies have accepted the Construction Subcommittee's
goal to design all new federal facilities in metric units by January 1,
1994.
Another example of the growing cooperation among federal
agencies to meet the mandate to use the metric system is the leadership
of the Government Printing Office and the Internal Revenue Service in
exploring a change to metric-sized paper, printed forms, and documents.
To examine and discuss the issues, they recently invited other agencies
to meet with the staff of the Joint Committee on Printing. They considered
the advantages and disadvantages of adopting standard metric sizes, compared
to continuing use of the current sizes described in metric units. The
approximately 60 representatives appointed an ad hoc committee to develop
surveys of industry and the federal agencies, as well as a timetable for
reporting the results. The possible impacts on the paper and printing
industries will be examined, including transition costs and long-term
benefits, document handling, storage, reproduction, information management,
and other related activities. The consensus of the participants was that
potential problems should be identified and a progressive policy and practical
timetable be developed, with industry's cooperation, to make the federal
government's transition to the use of metric-sized paper, forms, and documents.
What Needs to
be Done?
The progress that federal agencies are making to implement metric usage
will require some time to reach the point where metric units are used
routinely. For example, agencies that have implemented a policy to use
metric units on all new projects will not make predominant use of the
metric system until new metric usage becomes a significantly large part
of the agency's activity. Budgetary restraints that limit new project
initiatives, safety considerations, transition costs, and external factors
will all affect the pace of the change.
For example, in construction, until a large fraction
of old, nonmetric facilities are replaced with new ones, or are renovated
extensively, almost all government facilities, as well as major equipment,
will remain non-metric. The use of metric units to describe existing items
may be an option, but in some situations this may not be desirable or
acceptable.
In addition to needing time for metric policies and
plans to be implemented in the federal government, visible top-management
commitment to the metric transition and leadership are needed. This also
is true for state and local governments and for the business community.
Leadership is especially needed in critical areas that involve long lead
times, such as in education, including work-force training.
As federal agencies evaluate their progress and identify
the problems they may encounter, recommendations for legislation and other
actions will be made to the Secretary of Commerce who, in turn, will send
them to the President. Clearly, the completion of federal metric efforts
will take time. To assure the most beneficial results will take the continuing
support of Congress and the cooperation and active participation of industry
and state and local governments.
A variety of reasons have been put forward to explain
why the metric transition has not made widespread progress in the U.S.
in the past. They include lack of national leadership, reluctance to embark
on such a change, and the failure of the voluntary effort that began in
1975. The many competing national priorities and the lack of immediate
and visible benefit to a transition clearly were factors. There are political,
economic, and social reasons to explain the apparent slow progress and
reluctance to make the transition.
None of these factors justify continued inaction. We
must continue along the path to joining the global community in the use
of metric measurement standards. The efforts of federal agencies are moving
us more rapidly in that direction.
The Implications
for Business
In his message to the 1992 National Metric Conference "Metrication
'92," President Bush associated the metric system of units with success
in the international marketplace, greater efficiency, production of goods
and services that fit the needs of other nations, enhanced competitive
edge, and new opportunities and jobs. A business making the transition
from using inch-pound units to using metric units is not only making an
investment in the economic well-being of the United States, but also investing
in its own economic survival.
Companies sometimes ask whether they must convert to
the metric system of measurement. The simple answer is no -- the law does
not require conversion and the government cannot force businesses to convert.
Competitors (especially overseas competitors) might even prefer that U.S.
companies not convert. Finally, some workers may be relieved to hear they
do not need to learn a new system, and companies may wish to postpone
transition expenses (although the competitive reality is that postponement
will be very temporary and subsequent costs may be higher).
A better answer is yes--yes to a conscious and strategic
decision convert. Companies that delay conversion will lose some of the
future economic benefits that will ultimately surpass any short-term costs.
Companies should convert if they make or sell any product or service that
they or anyone else might want to sell in foreign markets, if they want
to be assured of being able to sell to the government in the future, and
if they want to begin to enjoy a long-term return on their investment
in the transition. In short, companies should actively plan and manage
their transition, and not wait for circumstances that will force it. By
then, it may be too late for some firms to survive in the increasingly
competitive business climate.
Clearly, U.S. companies that do not produce products
or services to metric specifications will risk being increasingly noncompetitive
in world markets. Japan has identified the U.S. lack of metric usage as
a strategic impediment to access of U.S. products to the Japanese home
market. In addition, consolidation of the European market product standards
will make sales of non-metric products increasingly difficult and uncertain.
Most U.S. companies understand that using metric units is essential to
future economic success. Their hesitation may be due to uncertainty as
to when and how to convert.
Summary
Through their actions, federal agencies are demonstrating an increasing
determination to use the metric system of units in business-related activities.
The results are not yet very visible to the public, which is not a direct
target of current federal transition activities. Industry is the target,
and is becoming increasingly aware of and generally welcomes the government's
progress.
Industry acceptance of the wisdom of proceeding with
the metric transition is due partly to the realization that producing
to metric specifications and surviving in tomorrow's economic environment
are synonymous. Industry also understands that government agencies are
committed to working cooperatively with industry.
In addition, both government and industry recognize
the need make changes gradually and opportunistically to achieve the maximum
amount of benefit with the minimum amount of expense and disruption of
activity.
1 The National
Bureau of Standards is now the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST).
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Date created: May 07, 2002
Date Last Modified: June 16, 2004
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