Software metrics are vital for ensuring software quality, yet their adoption and impact in fast-developing countries remain underexplored. This paper presents an empirical study of software metrics practices, tools, and challenges using Bangladesh as a representative example of a rapidly growing software industry. Through interviews with 20 professionals from 13 companies, we examine how metrics are applied across Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) phases and identify major categories such as size, test, productivity, structural, and reliability metrics. Metrics such as test coverage, uptime, and coupling between objects are widely used to improve maintainability and error detection. Despite these benefits, adoption is limited by insufficient training, skepticism, and perceived workload. Common tools supporting metric-based development include Jira, ESLint, Postman, and Docker. The findings highlight how Bangladesh’s experience reflects broader trends in rapidly developing economies and provide insights for strengthening the adoption of software metrics globally.