Normalize

POST /v1/normalize reads quantities as they appear in real catalogs, supplier files, and user input and returns one structure: what kind of quantity it is, the values as written, and the total in the category base unit. It is deterministic and never guesses: an unknown or ambiguous unit returns an error instead.

Supported forms

Input	`kind`	Result
`12.5 kg`	single	12.5 kg
`2x500ml`, `6 x 330 ml`, `pack of 6 x 330ml`, `6-pack of 330 ml`, `500ml x 2`	multipack	count, each, and total
`1 lb 4 oz`, `5 ft 11 in`, `5'11"`	mixed	total in the smallest unit used (20 oz, 71 in)
`10-12 cm`, `10 to 12 cm`, `10 cm - 12 cm`	range	min and max
`approx 5kg`, `~5 kg`, `about 5 kg`, `circa 5kg`	any	`qualifier: "approximate"`

Every response has the same fields. Fields that do not apply to the kind are null: count and each for multipacks, total and base for everything except ranges, and min, max, base_min, and base_max for ranges. base values use the base_unit of the category.

Example

bash

curl "https://api.unifyunits.com/v1/normalize" \
  -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $UNIFYUNITS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"text":"1 lb 4 oz","decimals":3}'

json

{
  "data": {
    "kind": "mixed",
    "qualifier": null,
    "category": "mass",
    "base_unit": "kg",
    "count": null,
    "each": null,
    "total": { "value": "20", "unit": "oz" },
    "min": null,
    "max": null,
    "base": { "value": "0.567", "unit": "kg" },
    "base_min": null,
    "base_max": null
  }
}

Decimal separators and locale

1,5 is read as 1.5 and 1,234.56 or 1.234,56 as 1234.56, because the last separator is the decimal one. Exactly three digits after a single separator is ambiguous, so the locale decides:

Input	No locale or `en`	`de`, `fr`, `es`, and similar
`1,500 g`	1500	1.5
`1.500 g`	1.5	1500

Pass a language tag such as "de-DE". Spaces are not treated as thousands separators, except non-breaking spaces; malformed numbers such as 1.2.3 are rejected.

Rules and limits

NxM unit always means N packs of M unit. A dimension such as 2x4 ft is read as two pieces of 4 ft.
Mixed values need units of the same category with a fixed factor, each used once. Temperatures cannot be mixed.
Range ends must be the same kind of unit and the minimum cannot exceed the maximum.
Counts are whole numbers from 1 to 100,000.
A successful call uses one conversion from your monthly quota. Failed calls are free.