(EN) A body (11) for improved shedding of vortices has a short downstream length, e.g. 0.3 cm, yet is capable of excellent flow metering performance. The body includes an upstream elongate thin plate (19) spanning the inner diameter of a conduit, and one or more downstream sections (21). Generally, these sections are in the form of cylindrical rods of various cross-sections, with their longitudinal axes parallel to that of the plate. These sections may be separated from the plate, or rigidly attached to the downstream side thereof. By simultaneously maintaining the ratio of the width (HF) of the thin plate to the overall width (HT) of the downstream sections within the range from 1.0 to 2.2, and the ratio of the width of the thin plate to the diameter of the conduit within the range from 0.1 to 0.3, enhanced linearity of signal is achieved. This results in a narrow profile flowmeter assembly which occupies the same amount of space as a conventional orifice plate.