The problem with a wholesale conversion to the metric system is all the legacy stuff. Homes were built to Imperial measurement. 8 ft high walls, 16" stud spacing, etc. Converting building materials to convenient metric dimensions would cause all kinds of problems for remodeling.
Less durable goods are more easily converted, as we have seen in the automotive industry. Replacement parts are often specific to the make, model, and year of the vehicle anyway and those components which are universal are usually fairly low cost so keeping parts in both Imperial and metric measure isn't a huge inconvenience.
When designing a product, I tend to design in inches because raw materials are sold in inch dimensions in the US and machining something down to a metric dimension can lead to additional and often otherwise unnecessary work as well as wasted material.
We once had a product being made bu a UK division that ran into a problem. The product used a large diameter acrylic tube that was now only available in metric sizes. The options were to purchase an oversized tube, turn and bore it to the inch size, and polish it internally and externally. We ended up buying the tubing in the US and shipping it to the UK. Less work but a lot of additional expense in shipping costs.
Less durable goods are more easily converted, as we have seen in the automotive industry. Replacement parts are often specific to the make, model, and year of the vehicle anyway and those components which are universal are usually fairly low cost so keeping parts in both Imperial and metric measure isn't a huge inconvenience.
When designing a product, I tend to design in inches because raw materials are sold in inch dimensions in the US and machining something down to a metric dimension can lead to additional and often otherwise unnecessary work as well as wasted material.
We once had a product being made bu a UK division that ran into a problem. The product used a large diameter acrylic tube that was now only available in metric sizes. The options were to purchase an oversized tube, turn and bore it to the inch size, and polish it internally and externally. We ended up buying the tubing in the US and shipping it to the UK. Less work but a lot of additional expense in shipping costs.
