The UAE has implemented the International System of Units (SI), which replaces imperial measurements such as foot, inch and yard with the metric system.
The new rules come into effect on January 1, 2015. Fabric and textile suppliers and merchants must comply with the new system by using the meter as an unit instead of the yard. The conversion of unit sales used in the textile trade is an important step toward unifying the units of measurement used in the UAE, making these consistent with the SI.
The new system is part of efforts to protect consumers’ rights and ensure better practices as per approved standard specifications in order to stimulate economic growth. The shift follows the UAE’s introduction of the liter instead of the gallon as a unit of measurement for fuel in 2010.
A lot of Arab customers still ask in yards, so it will take some time for people to get used to asking for measurements in meters.
Shop keepers say the change will have a small impact. The difference in size amounts to a 10 per cent loss for them so they have increased the price of some items by five per cent and other items by seven per cent. To fix the problem, they are now buying in meters so they can sell in meters without any losses.
