A unit (UoM, Unit of Measure, Unit of Measurement) is a quantity value defined by convention.

Example:

For the quantity mass m, the SI unit is defined with the English name kilogram, and the symbol kg. By convention, the quantity value 1 kg was defined – until 2019 – to be the quantity value of the mass of a defined amount of a platin-iridium cylinder kept under well-defined conditions. In 2019, the definition of the kg has been changed.

Other units for the quantity mass are the pound, symbol lb, the long ton, symbol lto, for the quantity volume the unit barrel, symbol bbl, or the u.s. gallon, symbol ugl.

Measurement standards then define conversion factors between units for the same quantity.