Template documentation[view] [edit] [history] [purge]Usage
To promote consistent use of metric units, place this template with other maintenance tags near the top of articles that use the metric system (below hatnotes, but above infoboxes, as per the Manual of Style). The parameter |date= is intended to track the most recent month and year in which an editor or bot checked the article for inconsistent unit formatting and, if any inconsistencies were found, fixed them to comply with this template's preference for metric units.
Wikipedia articles that use the metric system, either because of the first main contributor rule or close national ties (see MOSNUM), are systematically tagged with {{Use metric}} over time. The template is visible only in edit mode.
The template is useful to the editors to quickly know which unit system is to be used when adding new measurements into an article. It also facilitates article maintenance by enabling bots to recognise use of this format, and by adding the article to the hidden category Use metric.
Use of this template is part of a continuing effort to monitor the measurement units used in articles, to assist in maintaining consistent formatting within an article. It is not a temporary "cleanup" template. Therefore, do not remove the template without valid reason, such as a determination that the article uses or should use a different measurement system.
After an article is tagged, periodic script or bot runs clean up formats, correcting any new introductions since the bot's last visit, and updating the tracking date parameter in the {{Use metric}} template.
When a citation style does not expect differing measurement units, it is permissible to normalize values to the article's preferred unit system, with unit consistency being preferred (see MOS:UNIT).
This template is intended for use in articles. It can be used on a template page in order to format units on the template page itself, but it must be enclosed in <noinclude>...</noinclude> tags so that it is not transcluded into articles or other pages.
Syntax
{{Use metric|date=March 2025}}
Notes:
- The template should be inserted in one of the first few lines of code of an article (to improve performance).[citation needed]
- Avoid redirects of this template, because their presence in an article may not be recognized by unit formatting scripts and bots. (These are a number of "legacy redirects" which are still supported at least by some bots, but they should be changed to direct invocations of this template, also for performance reasons.[citation needed])
TemplateData
TemplateData for Use metric
This template should be placed near the top of articles that use the metric system.
| Parameter | Description | Type | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month and year | date | The month and year that the template was placed or the article was last checked or cleaned (in full). "{{subst:CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}" inserts the current month and year automatically.
| String | suggested |
Wrongly tagged?
If, for example, you determine that an article has a template that is inappropriate for its nationality, you should replace it with the appropriate template to avoid scripts or bots reapplying the "wrong" format in the course of maintenance.
Tracking categories
- Category:Pages using Use metric template with unknown parameters (0)
- Category:Use metric and its dated subcategories
See also
- {{Convert}}, which can be used to convert between metric and imperial units
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