längdmått

Längdmått is a Swedish term that refers to the units used to measure length or distance. In modern Sweden, längdmått predominantly means metric units, with the meter as the base unit and submultiples such as centimeter and millimeter used in everyday life, industry, science, and construction. Distances on roads or maps are typically given in kilometers.

Historically, längdmått included a variety of customary and regional units that varied before standardization. Common examples in textile and everyday usage were units such as fot (foot), tum (inch), and aln (ell). These units were often linked to body measurements or cloth lengths and differed between regions and trades. The term mil also appears in this context, defined as a longer distance; in Sweden a mil is commonly understood as 10 kilometers and is still encountered in informal speech or rural descriptions when referring to longer distances.

The adoption of the metric system in Sweden led to the gradual standardization of length measurement around the meter and its multiples. Today, the metric system is the official framework for most official, commercial, and scientific activities, while historical längdmått are primarily of interest in historical texts, vintage textiles, and discussions of traditional practices.

In practice, Swedish usage tends to favor meters and kilometers for most current purposes, with older units retained mainly for historical reference or in specific crafts. Längdmått as a concept thus covers both the modern metric measurements and the legacy units that were used prior to standardization. See also meter, kilometer, mil, and history of measurement in Sweden.