Weights and Measures Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. W-6)
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Act current to 2024-10-30 and last amended on 2021-04-19. Previous Versions
SCHEDULE I(Section 4)Units Based on the International System of Units
PART I
Basic Units of Measurement
| Basic Unit | Symbol | Definition | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | metre | m | the unit for the measurement of length, being the metre as defined by the 26e Conférence générale des poids et mesures as reported in the Comptes rendus de la 26e Conférence générale des poids et mesures published by the Bureau international des poids et mesures, as amended from time to time |
| 2 | kilogram | kg | the unit for the measurement of mass, being the kilogram as defined by the 26e Conférence générale des poids et mesures as reported in the Comptes rendus de la 26e Conférence générale des poids et mesures published by the Bureau international des poids et mesures, as amended from time to time |
| 3 | second | s | the unit for the measurement of time, being the second as defined by the 26e Conférence générale des poids et mesures as reported in the Comptes rendus de la 26e Conférence générale des poids et mesures published by the Bureau international des poids et mesures, as amended from time to time |
| 4 | ampere | A | the unit for the measurement of electric current, being the ampere as defined by the 26e Conférence générale des poids et mesures as reported in the Comptes rendus de la 26e Conférence générale des poids et mesures published by the Bureau international des poids et mesures, as amended from time to time |
| 5 | kelvin | K | the unit for the measurement of thermodynamic temperature, being the kelvin as defined by the 26e Conférence générale des poids et mesures as reported in the Comptes rendus de la 26e Conférence générale des poids et mesures published by the Bureau international des poids et mesures, as amended from time to time |
| 6 | candela | cd | the unit for the measurement of luminous intensity, being the candela as defined by the 26e Conférence générale des poids et mesures as reported in the Comptes rendus de la 26e Conférence générale des poids et mesures published by the Bureau international des poids et mesures, as amended from time to time |
| 7 | mole | mol | the unit for the measurement of the amount of substance, being the mole as defined by the 26e Conférence générale des poids et mesures as reported in the Comptes rendus de la 26e Conférence générale des poids et mesures published by the Bureau international des poids et mesures, as amended from time to time |
PART II [Repealed, SOR/2017-80, s. 1]
PART III
Derived Units of Measurement
| Derived Unit | Symbol | Definition | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | newton | N | the force that, when applied to a body having a mass of one kilogram, gives the body an acceleration of one metre per second per second |
| 2 | joule | J | the work done when the point of application of a force of one newton is displaced a distance of one metre in the direction of the force |
| 3 | watt | W | the power that produces energy at the rate of one joule per second |
| 4 | hertz | Hz | the frequency of a periodic phenomenon of which the periodic time is one second |
| 5 | coulomb | C | the quantity of electricity transported in one second by a current of one ampere |
| 6 | volt | V | the unit of electric potential difference and electromotive force, being the difference of electric potential between two equipotential surfaces of a conductor that is carrying a constant current of one ampere when the power dissipated between these surfaces is equal to one watt |
| 7 | farad | F | the capacitance of a capacitor between the equipotential surfaces of which there appears a difference of potential of one volt when the capacitor is charged by a quantity of electricity equal to one coulomb |
| 8 | henry | H | the inductance of a closed circuit in which an electromotive force of one volt is produced when the electric current in the circuit varies uniformly at a rate of one ampere per second |
| 9 | ohm | Ω | the electric resistance between two points of a conductor when a constant difference of potential of one volt, applied between these two points, produces in the conductor a current of one ampere and the conductor itself is not the seat of any electromotive force |
| 10 | weber | Wb | the magnetic flux that, when linking a circuit of one turn, produces in that circuit an electromotive force of one volt as the flux is reduced to zero at a uniform rate in one second |
| 11 | tesla | T | the magnetic induction that is equal to one weber per square metre |
| 12 | lumen | lm | the luminous flux emitted in a solid angle of one steradian by a point source having an intensity of one candela |
| 13 | lux | lx | the illuminance produced by a flux of one lumen uniformly distributed over one square metre |
| 14 | pascal | Pa | the pressure (or stress) produced when a force of one newton is applied to an area of one square metre |
| 15 | var | var | the reactive power at the two points of entry of a single-phase, two-wire circuit when the product of the root-mean-square value in amperes of the sinusoidal current by the root-mean-square value in volts of the sinusoidal voltage and by the sine of the angular phase difference by which the voltage leads the current is equal to one |
| 16 | becquerel | Bq | the activity of radionuclides that is equal to one per second |
| 17 | gray | Gy | the absorbed dose of ionizing radiation that is equal to one joule per kilogram |
| 18 | siemens | S | the electric conductance between two points of a conductor when a constant current of one ampere in the conductor produces a difference of potential of one volt between these two points and the conductor itself is not the seat of any electromotive force |
| 19 | radian | rad | the unit for the measurement of a plane angle, being the angle with its vertex at the centre of a circle and subtended by an arc of the circle that is equal in length to its radius |
| 20 | steradian | sr | the unit for the measurement of a solid angle, being the angle with its vertex at the centre of a sphere and subtended by an area on the spherical surface equal to that of a square with sides equal in length to the radius |
PART IV
Customary Units of Measurement Used with the International System
| Customary Unit | Symbol | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| minute | min | 60 seconds |
| hour | h | 3 600 seconds |
| day | d | 86 400 seconds |
| degree (of arc) | ° | p/180 radianFootnote for PART IV Customary Units of Measurement Used with the International System* |
| minute (of arc) | ′ | p/10 800 radianFootnote for PART IV Customary Units of Measurement Used with the International System* |
| second (of arc) | ″ | p/648 000 radianFootnote for PART IV Customary Units of Measurement Used with the International System* |
| litre | L, l or l | 1/1 000 cubic metre |
| tonne or metric ton | t | 1 000 kilograms |
| hectare | ha | 104 square metres |
| millilitre | mL, ml or ml | 1/1 000 litre |
| degree Celsius | °C | an interval of 1°C = an interval of 1 kelvin; a temperature of 0°C corresponds to 273.15 kelvins |
Return to footnote *p is the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle.
PART V
PrefixesFootnote * for Multiples and Submultiples of Basic, Supplementary and Derived Units of Measurement
| Prefix | Symbol | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| yotta | Y | 1024 |
| zetta | Z | 1021 |
| exa | E | 1018 |
| peta | P | 1015 |
| tera | T | 1012 |
| giga | G | 109 |
| mega | M | 106 |
| kilo | k | 103 |
| hecto | h | 102 |
| deca | da | 101 |
| deci | d | 10-1 |
| centi | c | 10-2 |
| milli | m | 10-3 |
| micro | µ | 10-6 |
| nano | n | 10-9 |
| pico | p | 10-12 |
| femto | f | 10-15 |
| atto | a | 10-18 |
| zepto | z | 10-21 |
| yocto | y | 10-24 |
Return to footnote *Not applicable to the basic unit “kilogram” but applicable to the one thousandth submultiple of that unit, namely the “gram (g)”.
- R.S., 1985, c. W-6, Sch. I
- SOR/86-420
- SOR/2005-277, ss. 1, 2
- SOR/2017-80, ss. 1, 2
- 2019, c. 29, s. 196
- Date modified: