BRUSSELS – Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, products sold in the European Union must be in metric units. The measure, by the European Union Council Directive 80/181/EEC, also known as the Metric Directive, bans use of any other measurements for most products sold in the EU.

The Metric Directive will make the sole use of metric units obligatory in all aspects of life in the European Union, extending to such areas as product literature and advertising.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has through public forums sought input toward the development of U.S. government views and actions. NIST has set up a Website with information on the conversion.

The effect on the electronics industry will be mixed. Semiconductor packages have been listed in metric units for years. However, North American manufacturers tend toward use of the legacy US Customary system for most other measurements.

A pdf of the Metric Directive is available here.

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