Canadian Metric Conversions
Last updated February 14, 2026 · Length
Canada metricated in the 1970s, so road signs are in kilometres, weather is in Celsius and fuel is sold by the litre. In practice a hybrid persists: height in feet and inches, body weight in pounds, floor area in square feet, oven temperatures in Fahrenheit from American recipes, and lumber in nominal inches.
The conversions Canadians need most
- Feet and inches to centimetres for height and medical forms
- Pounds to kilograms for body weight and gym plates
- Fahrenheit to Celsius for US recipes and appliance manuals
- Square feet to square metres for real estate listings
- Miles to kilometres when driving in the United States
The gallon trap
Before metrication Canada used the Imperial gallon of 4.54609 L, not the 3.785 L US gallon. Older Canadian fuel-economy figures and equipment manuals therefore quote Imperial gallons, and Canadian MPG figures from that era are Imperial MPG. Modern figures use L/100 km.
Spelling
Canadian English uses metre, litre and kilometre, matching UK usage. American spellings are widely understood and refer to identical units.