How to Read a Tape Measure
Don't let all those little lines dissuade you from using a tape measure. Follow these guidelines to help you in reading all of those little ruler marks.
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You Will Need
- A tape measure
Steps
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Step 1
Recognize the marks on the top
Recognize the marks on the top of the tape measure. The black numbers are inches and the red numbers are feet.
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There are 12 inches in a foot.
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Step 2
Identify the shorter marks
Identify the shorter marks between the inch marks, divided into fractions of an inch.
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Most tape measures are divided into 16ths of an inch. Therefore, there are 15 lines between the inch marks, all representing 1/16 of an inch.
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Step 3
Look for special markings
Look for special markings every 16 inches. These markings aid in many do-it-yourself projects that need to be measured on 16-inch centers.
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Step 4
Notice the metric side
Notice the metric side of the tape measure. The markings represent meters, centimeters, and millimeters.
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There are 100 centimeters in a meter and 10 millimeters in a centimeter.
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Step 5
Write your measurement
Write your measurement in feet, inches, and fractions of an inch. For example 3 feet, 6 1/4 inches. Express metric measurements in the smallest increments. You would not say "2 centimeters and 3 millimeters." Instead, you would simply say "23 millimeters."
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Step 6
Double check your measurement
Measure precisely and double check your measurement. It takes a lot less time to measure twice than redo an entire project because of inaccuracies.
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James Chesterman patented the first spring-loaded tape measure in England in 1829.
