Ok, in the US, consumer goods generally have to be labeled in both Customary and metric units. Usually, the Customary is a "rational" size, but occasionally (20%?) the metric size is rational.

I've noticed a few items recently where neither is a rational or rounded size. Two examples from my bathroom, a large bottle of mouthwash, 2.1 L / 2 QT 7 FL OZ (71 FL OZ); a tube of toothpaste 8.2 OZ / 232.4 G. Which size is the rational size?

Anybody else seeing this. Anybody know why?

(Maybe they calculate in cubic decicubits and convert to both Customary and metric)

I have noticed this practice. And it does cause me to wonder if either one is correct. Ordinary marketing behavior suggests that producers prefer to have a round number for at least one of the values (2 L, 1 gal, 20 oz, etc.). I have no idea what the motive is for this practice. I almost want to say laziness, but it would be harder figuring out how much 32.2 ounces is in grams than it would 32 ounces.

In some cases, the sizes seem to be totally arbitrary. There are several possible reasons for this:
perhaps the volume is a rounded size but the label gives weight
perhaps the amount of the principal ingredient is a rounded size
perhaps the density of the product changed but they did not bother changing the package size
perhaps they figured that 99% of the public doesn't really care if the size is not rounded

"""I've noticed a few items recently where neither is a rational or rounded size. Two examples from my bathroom, a large bottle of mouthwash, 2.1 L / 2 QT 7 FL OZ (71 FL OZ); a tube of toothpaste 8.2 OZ / 232.4 G. Which size is the rational size?"""


When I was in South America some years ago, the tubes were sized in volume units (millilitres only) and not mass units like the US. It may be that the odd mass size might correspond to a rounded size in millilitres. See below for toothpastes sold in the US listed by volume and mass. If you know the density of tooth paste then you can VERIFY this assumption.

toothpaste Tom's (Vermont) 50 mL, 75 mL, 100 mL, 150 mL, 200 mL
toothpaste Rembrandt 100 g
toothpaste Crest (Proctor and Gamble) 175 g
toothpaste Sensodyne (Dentco, Inc.) 150 g


Mouth washes tend to be rounded metric for a few years. So I'm surprised to see 2.1 L, unless it is a bonus amount.

Check here for more metric products in the US:

http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/products.htm

We are to believe you that you went to South America?

I've been to Mexico and Venezuela, and more then once!!!!

Yo hablo también un poco español.

"niet"

There!

I've been to Russia!

(I haven't, btw, to normals)

Does visiting a web site from another country count as 'visiting' another country?

If so I've visited many countries and am confident in reporting that the pound is indeed 500 grammes! A web site in England told me so, and that means I've been to England, right?

Thanks "anon" for making me fall off my chair!

LOL!