This document establishes the legal framework for the use of units of measurement within the United Kingdom to ensure consistency in trade and commerce. The regulations were drafted by the British government to implement European Economic Community directives, standardizing the application of metric and imperial units across various sectors. It provides the statutory definitions and authorized usage for specific measurements in legal transactions.

Legal professionals and historians view this as a foundational regulatory instrument for British metrology. Readers frequently note the technical density of the prose, which is typical of statutory instruments from this period.