The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has replaced its foot, inch and yard measurement system with the metric system in textile trade, under the national system of measurement and calibration, according to the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA).
The new system has become effective from 1 January and ESMA has asked fabric and textiles suppliers and merchants to comply with the new system and use ‘metre’ as a unit of measurement instead of the ‘yard’.
The new system was approved by Cabinet’s Decree No. 31 of 2006, which states in Article VIII that the SI units will be the exclusive basis of the legal units of measurement in the country. Abdullah Al Muani, acting director general of ESMA, said the change to metric system in textile trade is an important step towards unifying the units of measurement used in the UAE, and making them consistent with the SI.
“The new system is part of ESMA’s efforts to protect consumers’ rights and ensure better practices as per approved standard specifications in order to stimulate economic growth,” Al Munani said.
He said the authorities have distributed posters to all dealers and shops selling fabrics, asking them to place the same in visible locations in their shops for consumers to see. The posters inform the traders and consumers that the prices on fabrics must not be based on yards.
In 2010, the UAE had replaced gallon with litre as a unit of measurement for fuel. The latest step of making ‘metre’ as a mandatory unit for textile trade is part of the efforts to build in the UAE infrastructure based on best international practices in order to fulfil the requirements of World Trade Organization - Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO-TBT). (RKS)
