Measurement Benchmarks

Below are some examples of measurement benchmarks used in elementary schools often. These benchmarks can help students estimate measurements.

Examples of estimating with customary units

  • The box of cereal weighs about 1 pound
  • The length of a book is about 1 foot
  • A large fish bowl holds about 1 gallon of water
  • A slice of bread weighs about 1 ounce

The chart below show benchmarks for customary units of measurement

Benchmarks for some customary units

The chart below show benchmarks for metric units of measurement

Benchmarks for some metric units


Other examples of estimating with metric units

  • The length of a bed is about 2 meters
  • The length of a smart phone is about 12 centimeters
  • A house front door weighs about 20 kg
  • A bathtub can hold about 400 liters of water

Metric measurement