Reading the Tape Measure

Reading the tape measure comes easy to some people.
To others, reading the tape measure is no easy feat.
In fact, some people struggle with it, no matter how many times they are taught.
In wood working, reading the tape measure is absolutely essential to building anything and it’s something you’re going to have to learn.

For you, however, not to worry. I am about to short-circuit your learning curve and show you the easiest way that I know.

Before you start studying your tape measure, walk into a home-improvement store and find one with no 32nds on it.
The 32nds will throw you for a loop. Master what I have written here first before getting into advanced measurements.

What you’re going to notice about the tape measure is that it is made up of numbers.
Whole numbers (inches) and fractions (fractions of inches.)

Between every inch, there are 16 lines. 16 including the whole number itself.
If you count them, there are 16 from 0 to 1 inch, from 1 to 2 inches, from 2 to 3 inches, and so on and so on and so on.
If this seems over-whelming, it’s okay, you are NOT in competition with anyone else, and there is absolutely no urgency to learn this. You can learn at your own speed.

Count the lines in between the inches and you’ll find there are 8 longer lines, and there are 8 shorter lines.

The shorter lines, you can think of as the number 16.
The longer lines, you can think of as the number 8.

You may have heard of some of these terms before. Some of them exist, but you wouldn’t call them 2/16th, you’d say 1/8th. Saying 2/16ths of an inch would probably get you some funny looks from an experienced builder, it’s the same 2/16ths is still 1/8, so you’d call it 1/8.

The easiest way is to count the lines is:
If your measurement lands on a short line. Count the short lines, then say 16th.
For example, If you count 3 lines, and it lands on the third one, and it’s a short line, that is 3/16ths.

It follows as: 1/16, 3/16, 5/16, 7/16, 9/16, 11/16, 13/16, 15/16.
Those are the short lines.

Here is what the ruler looks like with only the short 16th lines marked out for you.

With the long lines, you count those as 8ths. There are 8 of them.
You have 1/8
2/8 (1/4).
3/8
4/8 (1/2″).
5/8
6/8 (3/4″).
7/8
8/8 (1 inch).

Here is what the ruler looks like with only the long 8th lines marked out for you.

I hoped this helped you better understand how to read the tape measure, and I hope it will help you continue to read the tape measure.

Reading a tape measure takes time and practice. Study your lines, study the 8ths and the 16ths lines and take the time to measure random things and take tests online to measure you measuring accuracy.

It will make you look like a pro.EDITBLOG AT WORDPRESS.COM.