Swiss mark 150 years of measuring in metric

Switzerland has been measuring in metres for 150 years Keystone-SDA

Switzerland has been measuring in metres and weighing in kilograms for exactly 150 years.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

On May 20, 1875, Switzerland signed the Metre ConventionExternal link together with 17 other countries. In doing so, it committed itself to the international units of measurement.

A federal law introduced in the same year gave the metric system general validity in Switzerland, according to the Swiss Historical Dictionary. Metres, litres and grams were definitively introduced in January 1877.

Before the introduction of these measures, there was a great deal of confusion in Switzerland when it came to measuring.

Lengths were measured in feet, cubits and rods, to name just a few units of measurement. Areas were measured in “Juchart”, “Manngrab”, “Mannwerk” or “Quadratstunden” (square hours). Weight could be measured in pounds, ounces or hundredweights. Grain or salt was not weighed, but measured by the sack. Drinks were measured in “Mass” (measures), “Schoppen” (half-pint bottles), “Eimer” (pails) or “Zuber” (tubs).

Many of these measurements, such as feet and cubits, were directly related to the human body. Others, such as the “Saum” (hem), were based on the weight of an animal. Most area measurements were based on an estimate of the work performed within a certain period of time. One Juchart corresponds to as much land as could be ploughed in one day by a team of oxen.

Purpose and location

Which of these numerous units of measurement was used varied from purpose to purpose and from place to place. For example, areas in vineyards were measured with a different unit than areas in Alpine farming.

According to the Swiss Historical Dictionary, the most important units for wine and water, namely the Mass, pot, pinta or boccale, held between around one litre and more than two litres. Cities sometimes used smaller measures than their rural surroundings, while areas with dairy farming used larger units. Special weights were also used for milk, oil and honey.

While the length of cloth was measured in cubits, many other lengths were measured in feet. According to the Swiss Historical Dictionary, the foot was the most common measure of length in western and German-speaking Switzerland. From the late Middle Ages onwards, three different foot measures dominated: the Parisian or French foot (pied de roi), the Bernese foot in the west, and the Nuremberg foot in the east and north.

Long road to standardisation

These measurements were by no means standardised. For example, a cubit measured 545.9 millimetres in canton Solothurn, but 600 millimetres in neighbouring canton Bern. A foot measured between 26 and 36 centimetres. In general, the foot was divided into 12 inches of 12 lines and these in turn into 12 lines. This resulted in 144 lines for one foot. In canton Vaud, however, a foot had only 100 lines.

The first attempt at standardisation was made by some cantons in 1835, when the concordat for a “common Swiss system of weights and measures” introduced the metric system as a reference system in 12 cantons. Although the old units were retained, they were brought into relation with the metric system. The federal law of March 13, 1851, extended its provisions to the whole of Switzerland.

However, cantons Uri, Geneva, Ticino, Vaud and Valais resisted. Uri wanted to retain its pre-revolutionary measurements, while the others did not want to give up their fully or partially metric measurements.

The coexistence was only definitively abolished after Switzerland joined the Metre Convention. The Metre Convention also agreed on the establishment and financing of a number of institutions. In addition, the production of standards for the units of measurement metre and kilogram was agreed, i.e. the production of an original metre and an original kilogram.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

How we work

We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.

Did you find this explanation helpful? Please fill out the short survey below to help us understand your needs.

Don’t miss your chance to make a difference! Take our survey and share your thoughts.