The imperial system defines traditional units like the pound, yard, and gallon. It was standardized in the UK to unify various local measurements. While similar to United States customary units, there are significant differences in volume measurements. An imperial gallon is noticeably larger than a US gallon, which directly affects fuel economy calculations and fluid capacities on imported machinery.
You need an imperial socket set for that old tractor because the metric ones will round off the bolt heads.
Never assume a US pint and an imperial pint are the same volume. The imperial pint is twenty fluid ounces, while the US pint is sixteen.
Also heard as
- imperial system
- British imperial
Related terms
MPG
A measure of vehicle fuel efficiency showing how far a vehicle can travel on one gallon of fuel.
Acre-foot
A customary volume measure used in large-scale water management, equal to the amount of water needed to cover one acre to a depth of one foot.
BTU
The abbreviation for British thermal unit, a measure of heat energy.