Dear group, Recently someone sent out a question about metric labeling of products destined for the EU. I am sorry but I misplaced the original question.
Below I have attached an email from NIST. More information can be found at http://physlab.nist.gov/Divisions/Div840/SI.html. I had trouble getting this URL to work at first and you may be able to start at http://physlab.nist.gov/Divisions to get it going. Doug Powell Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- List-Post: [email protected] Date: Tue, 24 Jun 1997 09:56:26 -0400 From: Maureen Breitenberg <[email protected]> Subject: Business Alert - Received from the NIST Metric Program Please notify the appropriate people/companies of the following: One January 1, 2000, all products sold in the European Union (EU) and its associated countries must be specified and labeled ONLY in metric measurement. DUAL MEASUREMENTS ON PRODUCT LABELS WILL NO LONGER BE PERMITTED IN ANY EU COUNTRY. U.S. exporters will no longer be able to print inches, pounds, or non-metric measures in any shipment. This prohibition will extend to the UK and Ireland which will no longer rely on non-metric or imperial measures. No feet, pounds, or quarts. The rest of Europe long ago adopted the metric system for commercial purposes. In the year 2000, and thereafter, the EU will prohibit non-metric measures in advertising and catalogs. Technical manuals and user instructions also will have to use metric units for all products placed on the market. For certain industries in which package sizing is an important aspect of marketing, the requirements for metric-only measurements on labels may lead to critical decisions concerning package design. For further information on the specifics of these metric labeling regulations and where to obtain U.S.-based services to fulfill these requirements, call the Trade Information Center at 1-800-USA-TRADE, email: [email protected]. This office, run by the U.S. Department of Commerce, is a comprehensive resource for information on all Federal government export assistance programs. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) publishes a comprehensive guide to the European standards and regulatory communities that directly affect doing business in the EU and its associated countries. The guide, NIST Special Publication 891 "Standards Setting in the European Union - Standards Organizations and Officials in EU Standards Activities," is available by calling the NIST Inquiries Office at 301-975-3058, email: [email protected]. The NIST Metric Program provides leadership and assistance on metric use and conversion to business, state and local governments, standards organizations, trade associations, and the educational community. For further assistance with metric issues in general, contact the Metric Program at 301-975-3690, email: [email protected].
