mælieiningakerfi

Mælieiningakerfi, literally “measurement units system” in Icelandic, refers to the set of standardized units used for measuring length, mass, time, temperature, and other physical quantities in Iceland. It is largely aligned with the International System of Units (SI), the same system employed by most countries worldwide. The basic SI units that are routinely used in Iceland include the meter for length, kilogram for mass, second for time, kelvin for temperature, ampere for electric current, mole for the amount of substance, and candela for luminous intensity. Derived units such as kilogram‑meter per second squared for force or pascal for pressure are also common in scientific literature and engineering practice.

The Icelandic mælieiningakerfi was formally adopted in the early 20th century, following the adoption of the metric system by the rest of Europe. The Metric Regulation of 1935 (Mælieiningaleyfi 1935) made the use of SI units mandatory in all commercial, legal, and scientific contexts. Since then, the system has become the default in education, industry, and everyday life. In retail and cooking, the kilogram and liter are used for mass and volume, respectively, while metres and millimetres are standard for spatial dimensions. The use of older Icelandic units of measure—such as the alen (approximately 0.593 m), the skrubbi (2 krubbi ≈ 1.024 m), and the otheri—has largely disappeared from official use, though they occasionally appear in cultural or historical contexts.

While the legal framework obliges the use of the metric system, Iceland inherits a dual system attitude: citizens can still express everyday measurements in familiar non‑SI terms (for example, “jóður” for jump measurement). The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Icelandic standards body, SMI, provide detailed guidance on the correct implementation of SI in national documentation. The mælieiningakerfi thus supports Iceland’s integration into international science, trade, and technology while ensuring domestic consistency and clarity.