Weights and Measures Act 1975 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 3 · Weighing and Measuring for Trade
6. Units of measurements and weights lawful for use for trade
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 2022. 2 amendments in all.
Subject to section 40, a person must not use for trade any unit of measurement of length, area, volume, capacity, mass or weight which is not included in the First Schedule.
use for trade
“use for trade” means, subject to subsection (2), use in Singapore in connection with, or with a view to, a transaction for —(a)the transferring or rendering of money or money’s worth in consideration of money or money’s worth; or(b)the making of a payment in respect of any toll or duty,where —(c)the transaction is by reference to quantity or is a transaction for the purposes of which there is made or implied a statement of the quantity of goods to which the transaction relates; and(d)the use is for the purpose of the determination or statement of that quantity.(2) Subsection (1) does not apply where —(a)the determination or statement is a determination or statement of the quantity of goods required for despatch to a destination outside Singapore; and(b)no transfer or rendering of money or money’s worth is involved other than the passing of the title to the goods and the consideration therefor.(3) Any weighing or measuring instrument which is made available in Singapore for use by the public, whether on payment or otherwise, is to be treated for the purposes of this Part as weighing or measuring instrument in use for trade, whether or not it would apart from this subsection be so treated. For the purposes of this Act,
A person must not use the carat (metric) for trade except for the purposes of transactions in precious stones or pearls.
Any person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence, and any measure or weight used, or in any person’s possession for use, in contravention of any of those subsections shall be liable to be forfeited.
contravention
“contravention”, in relation to any requirement, includes a failure to comply with that requirement, and cognate expressions are to be construed accordingly;
The Minister may by regulations prescribe what may be treated for the purposes of use for trade as the equivalent of, or of any multiple or fraction of, any unit of measurement or weight included in the First Schedule in terms of any other such unit.
Subsection (1) does not apply to the prescribing of, or the dispensing of a prescription for, health or medicinal products, and nothing in any regulations made under subsection (4) applies to any transaction in health or medicinal products; but the Minister for Health may by regulations, which have effect despite anything in, or in any subsidiary legislation made under, any other enactment —
prescribe what may be treated for the purposes of dealings with health or medicinal products as the equivalent of, or of any multiple or fraction of, any unit of measurement which is included in the First Schedule in terms of any other such unit;
require that any person carrying out any such dealing with health or medicinal products, as is specified in the regulations for the purposes of which the quantity of the health or medicinal products is expressed in terms of any such unit which is so specified, must carry out that dealing in terms of the equivalent quantity prescribed under paragraph (a) that is so specified.
In subsection (5), “health or medicinal product” means —
a health product as defined in section 2(1) of the Health Products Act 2007; or
a medicinal product as defined in section 3 of the Medicines Act 1975.
The Minister may by order amend the First Schedule by adding to or removing from Parts 1 to 5 of that Schedule any unit of measurement of length, of area, of volume, of capacity, or of mass or weight, as the case may be.