Key Takeaways
Canada officially adopted the metric system in 1970, but food exporters preparing labels and packaging for the Canadian market will find a country that uses both metric and imperial measurements, often for the same product. In 1970 the Canadian government published a white paper formally committing Canada to metric conversion, with the expectation that the transition would be substantially complete by 1980. By 1980 Canada boldly (and wildly optimistically) claimed that it would be fully metric. But by 1985 all further efforts towards total metrification stopped. Fast forward 40 years and Canada is nowhere close to being fully metric. Uniquely, and very confusingly, we use both metric and the U.S. imperial system.
The result? Canada is a country where you can drive 20 kilometers to buy a 2″×4″ piece of wood, weigh yourself in pounds and give your height in feet, fill your car with litres of gas (that you measure in miles per gallon), cook at 350°F while the outdoor temperature is 20°C, buy a pound of steak priced per kilogram, drink a 355 ml can of beer and swim in a 78°F pool.
Confused? Well read on. You’ll still be confused, but at least you’ll be entertained. Here’s a guide on when we use which.
Grocery store confusion: The price of a piece of meat is typically advertised per pound, but the price printed on the package is per kilogram. Yes, really. Produce is often advertised per pound but you will always see the per kilogram price next to it.
Temperatures: Outdoor temperatures are measured in Celsius. But older Canadians are still much more comfortable using Fahrenheit. And pool temperatures are always measured in Fahrenheit. Naturally.
Body Temperature: Canadians measure fevers in Celsius. Normal is 37, a fever starts around 38, and you’re calling in sick at 39. Digital thermometers made the conversion for everyone under 50. Older Canadians might still remember 98.6, but they’re reading 36.8 on the display now.
Height and Weight: Ask a Canadian how tall they are and you’ll hear five foot eight. How much they weigh? 165 pounds. How much they benchpress? Also pounds.
Beer: This is measured differently depending on whether you’re buying it in a can or on tap. That makes perfect sense, right? A tall can contains 473 ml (the equivalent of 16 oz, or a U.S. pint) but walk up to a bar and order a pint, and you’ll get 20 oz (an imperial pint).
Cooking: Fahrenheit is often used for cooking due to the import of kitchen appliances from the U.S. and the prevalence of U.S. cookbooks. When it comes to measures for cooking, Canadians typically use a mix of both grams, millilitres, cups, and tablespoons depending on the recipe and cookbook. In fact, Canadian recipes are often written in both metric and imperial.
Butter: Your yellow gold is sold in a 454 gram-labelled package even though it represents one pound. It is often also labelled with the imperial unit.
Coffee and Milk: Canadians order their morning coffee in ounces but buy milk in litres.
Travel: Neither kilometres nor miles. Master the metric system for grocery labels and milk, but don’t expect Canadians to use it for directions. Like everywhere else, the grocery store is 20 minutes away.
As confusing and illogical as all of this is, Canadians are mostly completely accepting of it. Probably because we’re used to it. In fact, two-thirds are perfectly fine with the country’s mixture of measurements according to an Angus Reid survey.
But just when you thought this cloudy picture couldn’t get any worse, there are the generational and regional divides to contend with as well. Canadians younger than 35 are more likely to use the metric option in every situation canvassed, says Angus Reid, while those ages 55 and older tend to express a stronger preference for the imperial system. And in the province of Québec, which is culturally very European, everyone is more accepting of metric than the rest of Canada.
So, when speaking with a Canadian, use your favourite form of measurement: we’ll understand. Because we’re measurement bilingual. But don’t expect Canada’s laws to be as open-minded.
To learn more about laws pertaining to the use of measures on packaging, signage and advertising, visit canadiangroceryinsiders.com.
About Ingredients Communications and Training S.L. International food brands often lose months and significant money learning the Canadian market through trial and error. The Canadian Grocery Insiders Toolkit was built to prevent that. After 25 years supporting over 100 brands through Canadian market entry, we organized our insider knowledge into 11 training modules and 54 Market Success Tools covering regulatory compliance, bilingual labelling, retail and foodservice strategies, marketing, Québec requirements, cold chain logistics, political risk navigation, and AI-powered tools for market intelligence. Learn more at canadiangroceryinsiders.com.
