TAPE MEASURE READING ALL SIZES HOW TO

We know as a box the part of the tape measure that holds the tape, which can be made of plastic or metal. Its function is to prevent the spiral tape from expanding. On the other hand, at the back of the shell we will find a clip that is used for the belt, which facilitates access while working. This part of the tape measure is what allows it to hook onto the end of whatever you are about to measure. Basically it prevents the tape from staying a part outside the casing when backing up. It is important to mention that depending on how wide the tape is, the harder it will be. In fact, it is depending on this feature that the tape can be extended far without bending. This is the most important part of this tape measure, since it is the one that contains all the numerical measurements that we will use to measure. We can basically define the tape as the yellow spiral rule that can be wide or thin.Ī wider tape can be extended further without bending, and it will hold up better over time than a small, narrow tape. The tapes are also curved to maintain their structure, even when stretched to great lengths. There are a few key parts to know about tape measures, so let’s start by identifying them first: 1.Tape Tape measures come in a variety of sizes, from 6 ′ to 40 ′ (and even larger). There are small tapes used for interior projects like hanging artwork or measuring furniture and longer tapes (25 ′ and above) are best for large-scale projects like framing, decking, and outdoor projects. Of course, tape measures are available in different lengths: While short versions between one and two meters are usually used for home use, tape measures between 20 and 50 meters in length are used in industry – depending on requirements. What is a tape measure?įirst and foremost, a tape measure is a compact tool that is used to measure lengths and distances. The tape is made of a flexible material and has a scale. To measure, you lay out the tape along the corresponding route and then read off the scale. For the result to be correct, the tape must of course be stretched and laid straight.įor measurements on construction sites or in industry, tape measures made of steel or glass fiber plastic are mainly used. If the model is made of steel, the scale is not printed on, but is usually engraved – so it cannot wear out. Depending on the length, the scale shows units such as meters, decimeters, centimeters and millimeters.

TAPE MEASURE READING ALL SIZES HOW TO

We will show you how to read a tape measure in a very easy way. Now that you know how to read a measuring tape in both imperial and metric, here are 7 tips and features about measuring tapes.When cutting wood or building a house, it’s important to read a tape measure accurately. However, when stretched out, a tape measure is a jumble of numbers, markers, diamonds, and other confusing symbols. One centimetre highlightedĮvery decimeter(10 centimeters) is usually expressed in a different color the example below we can see that 90 is our closest whole ten number, we then add the closest centimeter, and add the decimal point that meets our target. Every 1 centimeter has 10 millimeters and each millimeter is expressed as a decimal in our final value. Every metric measuring tape is counted in centimeters and millimeters. How to read a metric measuring tapeĪ metric system is a very much easier concept to grab versus the imperial system. Now that you know how to read the numbers in between an inch, total inches, and feet, just add these values in order to come up with your total length. It just means 1 foot and at the 24-inch mark it would say 2F which means 2 feet. Secondly every 12 inches is equal to 1 foot, on your tape measure it will say 1F at the 12-inch mark. For our example if you see 16 lines in between every inch this indicates a 1/16th of an inch or normally written as 1/16″. Some will have 16 lines between every inch while some others will have 32 markings. In between, every inch is an equal amount of lines. The numbers are numerical in ascending order from left to right are one inch apart. Some tape measures can be only imperial while some have both imperial and metric units. Many tradespeople and surveyors use tape measures daily and depending on the one you have the scale may vary. It can be commonly found in toolboxes, belt clips, and some are small enough to fit in your pocket. All of them have equally spaced markings indicating a measurement. Measuring tapes can be made of cloth, plastic, fiberglass, or a metal strip.

A tape measure is a tool that allows you to measure an object or distance and has many features than just measuring.

Tape measure reading all sizes