#Tape measure reading tricks how to#

If you’re learning how to read a tape measure in millimeters, things change a bit. For example, it might show you that 22 inches are also equal to 1 foot, 10 inches. Some tapes have an additional smaller number that goes with the last foot mark you hit. Once you get beyond 1 foot, the inch markings keep going up with 13, 14, 15, etc rather than starting over at 1. Starting at the hook, it has number markings for every inch, followed by additional numbered markings for every foot. These are the clearest, boldest markings you’ll see. Tape measures do their most basic work in inches and feet. How to Read a Tape Measure in Inches and Feet Overmold: rubberized material on the housing that adds comfort and drop protection.Clip (or Belt Clip): a metal piece on the side that clips the tape to your belt, pocket, or bag.Lock: the sliding piece on the front of the tape that stops it from coming back in when you press it down.Housing: the plastic or metal case that the blade rolls back into.Blade: the “tape” in a tape measure that has the measurements printed on it.Hook: the end of the tape that grabs or pushes against material.Tape measures may differ in how some of these parts and features look, but most fall into these general categories: Oh and one more tidbit of information in case you didn’t know, when you see measurements written with a ” symbol, that stands for inches and a ‘ symbol stands for feet.Before we look at reading the tape measure, let’s go over some of the basic parts. Well, that’s my quick and easy method for how to read a tape measure! I hope this simple how to post and printable have been helpful! The sixteenths of an inch: 1/16, 3/16, 5/16, 7/16, 9/16, 11/16,13/16, 15/16Īnyways, to keep it simple, just use the printable guide and you’ll have the tape measure markings memorized in no time! And you can of course buy an easy read tape measure to make it even easier!.The whole number measurements, like 1 inch, 2 inch, 3 inch, etc.

#Tape measure reading tricks free#

So, what’s the quickest and easiest way to read a tape measure with all those lines? I think the easiest way is by understanding and learning what the 16 markings of an inch stand for by using a visual infographic with each marking labeled.Īnd I’ve created an easy to read tape measure printable infographic (in both color and black & white) that you can print out and keep handy for quick reference until you have the tape measure markings memorized or in case you forget! *If you have already subscribed, you can find this printable in the Free Printable Library.Īs you can see in the above tape measure infographic, the line markings from longest to shortest represent: And many also show line markings for down to 1/32 of an inch. Overall, standard measuring tapes show 16 line markings for down to a sixteenth of an inch. How to Read a Tape Measure The Easiest Way

Well, that can be a bit more confusing and take longer for measuring until you can quickly read and understand what those lines mean. This type of tape measure has the whole inch numbers labeled, as well as the eighths and quarters of an inch labeled, like 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, etc, which makes reading a tape measure much easier.īut, sometimes your measurement ends up falling on one of those little lines with no number markings.Īnd then there’s even the more basic tape measures like the one below, which just has whole numbers and a lot of varying line sizes. Let’s start with a look at one type of tape measure, which is my favorite, the easy read tape measure: Note, this post contains some affiliate links.

So, really knowing how to read a tape measure in its entirety is important and that’s why I decided to create this simple tutorial along with a handy, free tape measure printable!

They are usually like 13 7/8 inches or 13 11/16 inches. But, as I shared in my woodworking for beginners post, often times specific measurements aren’t pretty even numbers like 13 inches or 13 1/2 inches. This post may seem really simple and you may already know how to read a tape measure. And I’m going to share the method that I think is the easiest way to learn how to read a measuring tape in inches. Knowing how to read a tape measure in its entirety is really important if you are doing any kind of woodworking or home project.