Proofreading and Copywriting - The Graphic Design: Reference and Specification - page 10

Weights and Measures

n u m b e r a n d n u m e r a l
u s a g e
Check the following
guidelines for when to
use numerals or spell
out numbers and dates:

united states international

mile mi. kilometer km

yard(s) yd. meter m

foot ft. centimeter cm

inch in. millimeter mm

ton(s) t. metric ton t

• In general, spell out cardinal
and ordinal numbers below
10 (four days). Use figures
for numbers 10 and up (15
people) unless they begin
a sentence (fifteen people
entered the house).

pounds lb. kilogram kg

ounces oz. gram g

pint pt. liter L

quart qt. milliliter mL

gallon gal. British thermal unit Btu

horsepower hp. calorie cal.

• Weights, measures, figure
numbers, times, and dates
should always be stated
numerically.

miles per gallon mpg hectare ha

miles per hour mph hertz Hz

Common Prefixes • Numbers that would

normally be spelled out
might get confusing in
sequence. Switch to
numerals when stating
more than one numerical
description in sequence
(he filled 12 eight-oz.
glasses).

Prefix Symbol Factor

1,000,000

mega- M

1,000

kilo- k

1 ⁄ 100

centi- c

1 ⁄ 1,000

milli- m

• Add an s to numerals
and dates to pluralize them
(1950s, '70s, B-52s).