How to Read a Tape Measure

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Watch more Home Repair DIY videos: http://www.howcast.com/videos/395041-... • 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. • 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. • Tip • There are 12 inches in a foot. • Step 2: Identify the shorter marks • Identify the shorter marks between the inch marks, divided into fractions of an inch. • Tip • 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. • 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. • Step 4: Notice the metric side • Notice the metric side of the tape measure. The markings represent meters, centimeters, and millimeters. • Tip • There are 100 centimeters in a meter and 10 millimeters in a centimeter. • 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. • 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. • Did You Know? • James Chesterman patented the first spring-loaded tape measure in England in 1829.

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