diff --git a/pkg/volume/empty_dir/empty_dir_test.go b/pkg/volume/empty_dir/empty_dir_test.go
index 738d9cb55b6..58b37d0dec0 100644
--- a/pkg/volume/empty_dir/empty_dir_test.go
+++ b/pkg/volume/empty_dir/empty_dir_test.go
@@ -298,13 +298,18 @@ func TestMetrics(t *testing.T) {
 	// Need to create the subdirectory
 	os.MkdirAll(builder.GetPath(), 0755)
 
+	expectedEmptyDirUsage, err := volume.FindEmptyDirectoryUsageOnTmpfs()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected error finding expected empty directory usage on tmpfs: %v", err)
+	}
+
 	// TODO(pwittroc): Move this into a reusable testing utility
 	metrics, err := builder.GetMetrics()
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("Unexpected error when calling GetMetrics %v", err)
 	}
-	if metrics.Used.Value() != 4096 {
-		t.Errorf("Expected Used %d to be 4096", metrics.Used.Value())
+	if e, a := expectedEmptyDirUsage.Value(), metrics.Used.Value(); e != a {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected value for empty directory; expected %v, got %v", e, a)
 	}
 	if metrics.Capacity.Value() <= 0 {
 		t.Errorf("Expected Capacity to be greater than 0")
diff --git a/pkg/volume/host_path/host_path_test.go b/pkg/volume/host_path/host_path_test.go
index a82157c600f..bb43b12e05b 100644
--- a/pkg/volume/host_path/host_path_test.go
+++ b/pkg/volume/host_path/host_path_test.go
@@ -300,13 +300,17 @@ func TestMetrics(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("Failed to make a new Builder: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	// TODO(pwittroc): Move this into a reusable testing utility
+	expectedEmptyDirUsage, err := volume.FindEmptyDirectoryUsageOnTmpfs()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected error finding expected empty directory usage on tmpfs: %v", err)
+	}
+
 	metrics, err := builder.GetMetrics()
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("Unexpected error when calling GetMetrics %v", err)
 	}
-	if metrics.Used.Value() != 4096 {
-		t.Errorf("Expected Used %d to be 4096", metrics.Used)
+	if e, a := expectedEmptyDirUsage.Value(), metrics.Used.Value(); e != a {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected value for empty directory; expected %v, got %v", e, a)
 	}
 	if metrics.Capacity.Value() <= 0 {
 		t.Errorf("Expected Capacity to be greater than 0")
diff --git a/pkg/volume/metrics_du_test.go b/pkg/volume/metrics_du_test.go
index 69d124b1bf4..d459fd4e8a4 100644
--- a/pkg/volume/metrics_du_test.go
+++ b/pkg/volume/metrics_du_test.go
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 )
 
+const expectedBlockSize = 4096
+
 // TestMetricsDuGetCapacity tests that MetricsDu can read disk usage
 // for path
 func TestMetricsDuGetCapacity(t *testing.T) {
@@ -33,21 +35,26 @@ func TestMetricsDuGetCapacity(t *testing.T) {
 	defer os.RemoveAll(tmpDir)
 	metrics := NewMetricsDu(tmpDir)
 
+	expectedEmptyDirUsage, err := FindEmptyDirectoryUsageOnTmpfs()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected error finding expected empty directory usage on tmpfs: %v", err)
+	}
+
 	actual, err := metrics.GetMetrics()
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("Unexpected error when calling GetMetrics %v", err)
 	}
-	if actual.Used.Value() != 4096 {
-		t.Errorf("Expected Used %d for empty directory to be 4096.", actual.Used.Value())
+	if e, a := expectedEmptyDirUsage.Value(), actual.Used.Value(); e != a {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected value for empty directory; expected %v, got %v", e, a)
 	}
 
 	// TODO(pwittroc): Figure out a way to test these values for correctness, maybe by formatting and mounting a file
 	// as a filesystem
-	if actual.Capacity.Value() <= 0 {
-		t.Errorf("Expected Capacity %d to be greater than 0.", actual.Capacity.Value())
+	if a := actual.Capacity.Value(); a <= 0 {
+		t.Errorf("Expected Capacity %d to be greater than 0.", a)
 	}
-	if actual.Available.Value() <= 0 {
-		t.Errorf("Expected Available %d to be greater than 0.", actual.Available.Value())
+	if a := actual.Available.Value(); a <= 0 {
+		t.Errorf("Expected Available %d to be greater than 0.", a)
 	}
 
 	// Write a file and expect Used to increase
@@ -56,8 +63,8 @@ func TestMetricsDuGetCapacity(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("Unexpected error when calling GetMetrics %v", err)
 	}
-	if actual.Used.Value() != 8192 {
-		t.Errorf("Unexpected Used for directory with file.  Expected 8192, was %d.", actual.Used.Value())
+	if e, a := (expectedEmptyDirUsage.Value() + expectedBlockSize), actual.Used.Value(); e != a {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected Used for directory with file.  Expected %v, got %d.", e, a)
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/volume/testing.go b/pkg/volume/testing.go
index 9f34a5eef41..526262c1a0b 100644
--- a/pkg/volume/testing.go
+++ b/pkg/volume/testing.go
@@ -18,10 +18,14 @@ package volume
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
+	"os/exec"
 	"path"
+	"strings"
 
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api/resource"
 	client "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/client/unversioned"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/cloudprovider"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/types"
@@ -267,3 +271,22 @@ func (fc *FakeProvisioner) NewPersistentVolumeTemplate() (*api.PersistentVolume,
 func (fc *FakeProvisioner) Provision(pv *api.PersistentVolume) error {
 	return nil
 }
+
+// FindEmptyDirectoryUsageOnTmpfs finds the expected usage of an empty directory existing on
+// a tmpfs filesystem on this system.
+func FindEmptyDirectoryUsageOnTmpfs() (*resource.Quantity, error) {
+	tmpDir, err := ioutil.TempDir(os.TempDir(), "metrics_du_test")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	out, err := exec.Command("nice", "-n", "19", "du", "-s", "-B", "1", tmpDir).CombinedOutput()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed command 'du' on %s with error %v", tmpDir, err)
+	}
+	used, err := resource.ParseQuantity(strings.Fields(string(out))[0])
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse 'du' output %s due to error %v", out, err)
+	}
+	used.Format = resource.BinarySI
+	return used, nil
+}