Units Used in Industry

Topic Content:

Physics is not limited to measurements made in the laboratory. Measurement is also important in industries such as construction, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, electricity and petroleum production.

Different industries measure different physical quantities, and appropriate units are used to express these measurements clearly and accurately.

For example, a construction worker may measure the length of a building in metres, while a manufacturer may measure the thickness of a metal sheet in millimetres. The speed of a vehicle may be measured in kilometres per hour, while fuel may be measured in litres.

The International System of Units (SI) provides standard units for scientific measurement. However, some other units are also commonly used in industry because they are convenient for particular measurements.

Common Units Used in Industry:

Some quantities and units commonly encountered in industry are shown below.

The unit chosen for a measurement often depends on the quantity being measured, its size and the purpose of the measurement.

For example, the thickness of a metal sheet is more conveniently expressed in millimetres than in metres, while the length of a building may be expressed in metres.