The International System of Units (SI units) is the most widely used unit system in science, engineering, and in our daily life. Please refer to the following online article for a brief history of SI units.
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The SI units system has been adopted globally, except for in the United States, Liberia and Myanmar (Burma). Canada has adopted the SI units for all legal purposes, but imperial/US units (which will be discussed later in this section) are also still in use there. The United Kingdom has officially adopted SI units.
The Hong Kong official unit system is the SI unit system. You should find that the package of rice you have bought from supermarket shows the mass in kilograms. Because Hong Kong is a centre for international trade, keeping to the right standards is crucial here.
Common unit systems used in Hong Kong
The most common units systems used in Hong Kong are:
- the International System of Units (SI units);
- Imperial units; and
- ancient Chinese units.
In fact, in Hong Kong, the Weights and Measures Ordinance, Chapter 68, Laws of Hong Kong provides a legal framework to protect consumers from fraudulent or unfair trading practices in connection with quantities.
If you would like to find out more about this legal framework, you can explore this article on 'Weights and measures' from Hong Kong's Customs and Excise Department.
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