How To Read Tape Measure Lines
For the top number we simply count how many lines there are of. How To Read a Tape Measure 101.
1 foot 12 inches.
How to read tape measure lines. The main middle marking inside the inch represent 12 inch Half inch The next small markings represent 14 of an inch Quarter inch 34 of an inch three fourth inch The next small markings represent 18 38 58 and 78 of an inch eighths of an inch. If your space or object is less than an inch simply read off the imperial tape measure to get the length. For example the 12-inch mark is bigger than a 18-inch mark.
If you look between the number 9 and 10 you will see these lines. Next pull the mechanism across lining up the object with the length of the tape. Even smaller marks then denote 18ths and 116ths marked in red of an inch.
Some marks are black and some are red. A 16ft tape measure for example will have sixteen one-foot marks along its length and 192 one-inch marks 12 inches per foot. For instance the inch marks are the largest lines and the sixteenths of an inch are the smallest.
So I thought we could do a little. If I had to measure something that didnt fall within one of those marks I would just mark the tape measure with a pencil or count the linesyou know it might be 32 and 3 little lines. As I mentioned above you read the measuring tape from left to right so the first mark when going to the right is the 1 mark and then continuing to the right we get to the 2 mark.
The longest mark indicates one inch. Each inch will then have eight 18th of an inch and sixteen 116th of an inch marks. How To Read A Tape Measure.
The 12 marks is the next largest and falls halfway between the 1 marks. With a retractable measuring tape pull the tang out of the housing and hook it around the end of the item you are measuring. Watch more Home Repair DIY videos.
We know the bottom number will be 8 because of the size of the line see photo above. As the lines on an imperial tape measure decrease in size so does their value. To figure out the top number we count how many lines there are of that size line and larger between the large inch line and what you are measuring.
Pretty embarrassing right My guess is that many of you are in the same boat as me. The number is usually big and bold at each inch and the line extends all the way across the tape. Inches are generally the easiest measurement to read on a tape measure.
Next find the nearest inch mark the longest line on a tape measure closest to or slightly less than the end of the object or distance you are measuring. Line the object against the tape. Good news is both the top lines and bottom lines are exactly the same.
Marks on a tape measure are the straight lines that run perpendicular to the tape. In fact there are 15 lines between 9 and 10. In between the inches you will see a bunch of lines on the top of the tape and the bottom of the tape.
To read a tape measure think about moving from long marks down to short marks. In the example below we are measuring to the arrow.
