this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2026
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We're taught both metric and US customary units in school. I prefer metric for most things, to the point I have a metric-only tape measure among other things.

However, I'll die on the hill that Fahrenheit is superior for ambient air temperature. 0 degrees to 100 degrees neatly encompasses the range of average surface temperatures seen throughout the year in the contiguous US.

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[–] MisterNeon@lemmy.world 27 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Metric in logic, but standard measurements are ingrained into my brain so it's more practical. I think that sucks.

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[–] smeg@infosec.pub 24 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I always preferred metric and Celsius. When I lived in South Korea, I was able to adapt immediately. Now I live in Europe and it makes all of the conversions easier.

Americans resistant to metric, in my opinion, are not very smart.

[–] sorghum@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

Murican' here. The only place I prefer Fahrenheit is in weather mainly for how ironically base 10 it scales for human related comfortability for outdoor activity.

100°+ dangerous heat

90s very hot, drink lots of water

80s shorts weather

70s comfortable

60s long sleeves

50s jacket weather

40s bring a coat

30s coat and hat (water freezing is here at 32°)

20s layers

10s insulated layers

0s very cold, protect exposed skin

-0s dangerous cold

Everywhere else I'm fine for C°

[–] smeg@infosec.pub 10 points 1 month ago

30 is hot

20 is not

10 is cool

0 is freezing

-10 is terribly cold

[–] Orygin@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago (4 children)

You can just scale it down and have the same experience. It's all just habit and familiarity

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[–] trxxruraxvr@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago

the range of average surface temperatures seen throughout the year in the contiguous US.

So give it a few more years of global warming and you won't want to use that anymore either.

[–] gigastasio@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

My perspective is probably unique but…

I don’t have a hard preference for either. I know both and I use both on a regular basis. If I need to convert, I convert. I find that one might be easier or more practical for specific instances or applications, but that’s far from a blanket statement that one is always superior, and I have little tolerance for that kind of thinking.

[–] Devadander@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I also convert, neither system bothers me. I truly believe that the pushback against standard measure is that most people who use metric don’t know the conversions well enough to comfortably use them. Most Americans don’t either, hence their resistance to metric. But once you learn how to convert between the systems in your head (roughly) you can navigate both. It’s like being bilingual

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[–] Corporal_Punishment@feddit.uk 9 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Be thankful you at least stick to one system.

I'm British so we use some weird mash up of everything.

Weight - imperial when weighing people, metric when weighing everything else.

Height - imperial when measuring people, metric with everything else.

Distance - imperial when walking or driving. Metric when running.

Fluids - imperial for milk and beer. Metric for wine and soft drinks. We fill our cars with litres of petrol but calculate fuel economy in miles per gallon.

[–] pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 month ago

This is the way.

I was raised needing a yardstick with inches on one edge and centimeters on the other, and the words "~~'Merika,~~ Great Britain fuck yeah!" scrawled along the center.

(Edit: I crossed out 'Merika, so now you can borrow my yardstick.)

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[–] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 7 points 1 month ago

I'm used to Imperial but metric is objectively better and easier to use.

[–] thru_dangers_untold@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

Metric. All day, every day.

[–] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 month ago (4 children)

The A system is superior to any american shenanigans!

A4 paper size FTW!

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[–] bassgirl09@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Metric - so much easier to understand and work with. I personally hate the imperial system, but I know it because of where I grew up. I would shed no tears if the U.S. switched to metric tomorrow.

[–] jtrek@startrek.website 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Imperial system (or whatever the US system is called ) should go away. Let's all just one standard.

Unfortunately, since I'm from the US, I only really know this one, and it's hard to switch when nothing else has switched. I'd put up with the pain of switching though.

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[–] itisileclerk@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Metric ARE standard measurments, the others are wierd.

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[–] AstroLightz@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Metric. Imperial is a fucking mess. At least with Metric, most size measurements are 10 to the power of something.

[–] Zetta@mander.xyz 5 points 1 month ago

I use metric when working on personal projects and cad, I would vote yes if a miracle happened and switching all of the us to metric was on the ballot.

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 4 points 1 month ago

Raised in imperial land but studied science in college, so I prefer metric for almost everything other than talking about large distances.

[–] exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 month ago

Weight of human beings, weights at the gym, etc.: pounds

Height of people: feet and inches

Height of buildings: mostly feet, but occasionally meters.

Depth of water in scuba: meters

Kitchen weight: grams

Kitchen volume: fluid ounces only between 0-128 oz, then gallons after that. Decimal places, not fractions. So for example, cocktail recipes should all be in ounces, no tablespoons or teaspoons.

Distances in wilderness: meters/km

Distances on a football field: yards

Distances on a basketball court: feet

Distances on roads or in cities: miles

All temps in Fahrenheit.

Energy in calories for food and heat, watt hours for electricity, joules for everything else.

[–] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Metric. I’m a mechanical engineer. I absolutely hate the amount of extra work i have to do because this country idiotically still uses USCS / standard. Every American company I’ve worked for is metric, but suppliers are often standard only.

[–] wolfeh@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 month ago

Metric. I've had my phone set up to display the temperature in Celsius so that I can get a sense of it without doing math all the time.

[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

I use both all the time, prefer metric

[–] Paranoidfactoid@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago
[–] bitchkat@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

I would prefer that we had continued on the path of converting to metric until Reagan killed it.

[–] Fourth@mander.xyz 3 points 1 month ago

Metric 100% when I'm working with mechanical stuff my mind works in metric but my brain has been poisoned to use imperial in other things and I actually really dislike it.

[–] GarboDog@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Metric system 100% of the way.

[–] Landless2029@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It depends on what I'm doing.

Baking: metric - grams on a food scale help me replicate recipes perfectly.

Cooking meat: standard - 140°F steak, 165 chicken

3D printing: metric always

Woodworking/household: standard - inches are just the standard for all the things. Wood, curtains, hardware, etc

Mechanical: ??/?? Depends on where it's made! I hate having to switch wrenches or sockets due to the wrong standard.

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[–] Cheems@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Metric. I do a lot of woodworking and auto repair and anytime I have to use not metric it's annoying

[–] BranBucket@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Excluding a few examples like frequently used gym weights, common fastener sizes, and short distances, I still have to do rough conversions in my head to have an idea of what a metric measurement is, so I guess I'd say imperial.

But I wouldn't be upset if the US converted to metric.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 month ago

For F and C, C is better for things like cooking, where what water is doing is useful. F is better for what we feel. Low numbers feel cold, hot temperatures (approaching 100) feel hot. I know people get used to C, if you're using it every day, but I still think F is the better system for it. That doesn't mean we should use it though. I think we should just switch to C and deal with it.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

metric, since i was in the stems. people would freak out if you use kelvin.

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Same as you. I agree on Fahrenheit on the same principle, but it's not that big of a deal and °C isn't that hard to adjust to.

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[–] HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Metric seems to be the superior measurement. Problem is , I can visualize 6in and NOT 6cm.

[–] Jarix@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

But a classic 12" ruler is 30 cm.

Half of that is 6" or 15cm

Half again is 3". Or 7.5"

Then realize visualizing didn't need to be accurate because it never will be anyway and go from there.

An inch is about 2.5 cm if you need a quick and dirty reference.

Converting by halfs was my go to.

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[–] sevan@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

As of today, I am completely unable to estimate or visualize metric values with the exception of the meter (because it is roughly the same as a yard). That said, I would prefer to switch to metric and get used to it rather than continue using our current measurements. It would be vastly preferable to me to use mm and cm over fractions of an inch (I hate fractions, I much prefer decimals).

For temperature, I still prefer F over C. As you said, F is much more metric-like with a 100 degree range that roughly spans the typical weather environments we live in. And considering that the boiling point of water is only 100 C at sea level, that fact is no more valuable than remember that water boils at 212 F at sea level. The reality is, I don't actually care what specific temperature water boils or freezes at (at any particular elevation). I happen to know what the values are in both C and F, but it doesn't matter in my life (except for when I was trying to bake when living in Colorado).

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[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Metric for everything but temperature because 69F is nice.

[–] MrFinnbean@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

This is first time i have heard compelling and sensible argument for farenheit.

[–] bitwolf@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago

Between all the science classes and the love of building PCs I'm all in on the metrics system.

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