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Measurement API

Measurements in. A decimal amount and a consistent unit out.

Pass a measurement, including its unit. Mixed values such as 5 ft 11 in become one decimal amount. Add to to choose a compatible target; omit it for the standard unit of that measurement type.

Every conversion uses one pooled request. Amounts are decimal strings: preserve the string for display, or use a decimal library for further arithmetic.

Parse and convert

GET
api.parseapi.com/measure/{measure}
Parse a measurement and optionally convert it
Explore
Parameters 4
measurestring · path · required

A measurement including units; URL-encode the complete value

tostring · query · optional

Compatible target unit. Use /measure/units for canonical unit identifiers

localestring · query · optional

Explicit locale for decimal and grouping punctuation, such as en-US or de-DE. Does not choose US or imperial units

systemstring · query · optional

Explicit meaning for a unit shared by US customary and imperial systems

Values: us, imperial

Run uses the free demo. Copied code uses your API key when signed in, or YOUR_API_KEY when signed out.

SDK quickstart
import { parseAPI } from '@parseapi/sdk';

const parse = parseAPI("YOUR_API_KEY");
const result = await parse.measure("5 ft 11 in", { to: "cm" });
console.log(result);

Run on your server with a secret key. Calling from a browser or app?

Example response
{
  "measure": "5 ft 11 in",
  "valid": true,
  "type": "length",
  "amount": "180.34",
  "unit": "cm",
  "reason": null,
  "choices": []
}

Run uses the free demo. Copied code uses your API key when signed in, or YOUR_API_KEY when signed out.

SDK quickstart
import { parseAPI } from '@parseapi/sdk';

const parse = parseAPI("YOUR_API_KEY");
const result = await parse.measure("2.5 kg", { to: "g" });
console.log(result);

Run on your server with a secret key. Calling from a browser or app?

Example response
{
  "measure": "2.5 kg",
  "valid": true,
  "type": "mass",
  "amount": "2500",
  "unit": "g",
  "reason": null,
  "choices": []
}

Response fields

measure
The measurement supplied by the caller
valid
Whether the measurement is understood without guessing
type
Measurement type, such as length, mass, or temperature; null when unresolved
amount
Decimal string in the returned unit, up to 18 significant digits rounded half away from zero. Null when invalid. Keep it as a string or use a decimal library when precision matters
unit
Canonical target unit, or the standard unit for this type when to is omitted
reason
Null when valid. Otherwise ambiguous_unit, unknown_unit, invalid_measure, ambiguous_number, or missing_unit
choices
Available unit interpretations as {unit, name} objects; empty when no choice is available

Make context explicit

locale controls how number punctuation is read. system=us or system=imperial disambiguates units shared by those systems. Neither is inferred from an IP address, browser, or account preference.

Unknown and ambiguous input returns HTTP 200 with valid: false. Read reason and display choices when present. A missing unit is not an invitation to infer one. An unsupported or incompatible target is an HTTP 400 request error.

Amounts use up to 18 significant digits, rounded half away from zero, with trailing fractional zeroes omitted. Keep the decimal string when storing the result; converting it to a floating-point number can lose precision. Unit discovery returns canonical codes. URL-encode the entire measurement, including slash and plus.

Run uses the free demo. Copied code uses your API key when signed in, or YOUR_API_KEY when signed out.

SDK quickstart
import { parseAPI } from '@parseapi/sdk';

const parse = parseAPI("YOUR_API_KEY");
const result = await parse.measure("180");
console.log(result);

Run on your server with a secret key. Calling from a browser or app?

Example response
{
  "measure": "180",
  "valid": false,
  "type": null,
  "amount": null,
  "unit": null,
  "reason": "missing_unit",
  "choices": []
}

Find compatible units

GET
api.parseapi.com/measure/units
Search the supported unit catalog
Explore
Parameters 3
qstring · query · optional

Search unit names, identifiers, or aliases

typestring · query · optional

Filter a measurement type, such as length

unitstring · query · optional

Return units compatible with this canonical unit

Use ?q=meter to search, ?type=length for one measurement type, or ?unit=m to list compatible target units. Each row has unit, name, type, and an aliases array. Use the canonical unit in subsequent calls.

Conversion boundaries

Convert within supported measurement types. Mass to volume needs density; electrical current to power needs more than a unit change. Calendar months, currencies, substance-specific concentrations, and other conversions needing additional context are outside this lookup. Use °C or °F for absolute temperatures and delta_C or delta_F for differences. Absolute temperatures cannot be mixed with other units. Symbols are case-sensitive: MB and Mb differ. Unsupported expressions stay unresolved.

Build with Measure

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