National Weights and Measures Week 2025: “Building a Lasting Legacy”

The National Council on Weights and Measures, along with hard-working regulatory officials across the country, join in the celebration of Weights & Measures Week March 1-7, 2025. Each year the first week of March is designated to commemorate President John Adams’s signing of the first United States weights and measures law on March 2nd, 1799.

NCWM Chair Marc Paquette of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets announced this year’s theme, “Building a Lasting Legacy.”

“The evolution and establishment of a uniform system of weights and measures has had a significant impact on society and governments,” stated Paquette. “A uniform system provides confidence in the marketplace for both consumers and businesses. All participants in an economy are more likely to engage openly in trade if they are assured of fairness in transactions. Weights and Measures programs contribute greatly to economic development by promoting equity in the marketplace to all stakeholders.”

The NCWM continues “Building a Lasting Legacy” with a long tradition of developing uniform standards in partnership with regulatory officials, industry representatives, and technical advisors. Utilizing those standards, inspectors across the country work diligently to test and inspect commercial devices that utilize a weight or measure to ensure that fair and accurate transactions take place. Devices such as fuel meters, including gasoline, liquid petroleum gas and oil, as well as all types and capacities of scales, are some of the devices inspected. Many inspectors also conduct inspections of the accuracy of pricing in retail stores. All this activity is intended to protect the interests of buyers and sellers in commercial transactions while also maintaining a level playing field for competing businesses. Weights and Measures Week focuses on and celebrates those inspectors, laboratory metrologists, and support staff around the country working to ensure: “That Equity May Prevail.”

“Weights and Measures Week also serves to inform the public of the great value consumers receive from weights and measures inspection programs,” said NCWM Chair Paquette. “When consumers purchase gas, take a trip to the grocery store, receive a delivery of fuel at their home, or purchase anything by weight or measure, remember the dedicated staff from weights and measures programs around the country who work tirelessly to make sure you get what you pay for.”

The stated mission of the National Council on Weights and Measures is “Ensuring Equity and Uniform Standards in a Changing Marketplace.” The NCWM has set the United States standards for weights and measures in commerce since 1905.

Learn more at www.ncwm.com.