How to Read a Tape Measure

A tape measure is one of the most versatile and indispensable tools every home will surely have. It is not just a piece of metal with numbers—it is your reliable assistant in repair, construction, furniture installation, and even everyday trifles. The usual ruler does not always cope with all tasks. It isn't easy to measure, for example, a doorway's height or a wall's length. And a laser rangefinder, no matter how accurate it is, is still the "weapon" of professionals. Therefore, the tape measure is out of competition: simple, affordable, and reliable.

But there is one nuance. Often, tape measures show two measurement systems at once: centimeters and inches. And here is where the difficulties begin: how to translate one into the other without getting confused? How do you count divisions correctly? Most importantly, how do you measure, for example, the width of a slab or the size of a rough opening so that you don't have to take the door unit back to the showroom?

If you've ever held a tape measure in your hands and weren't sure if you measured correctly, our guide is for you. This article will explain how to read a tape measure quickly and accurately.

Detailed instructions on how to read inches on a tape measure

For convenience, we'll take the distance between 1 and 2 inches as the basis for our example.

Step 1: Determining ½"

First, find the largest division between 1 and 2 inches. It is located in the middle and divides the inch into two equal parts. Thus, when writing it down, it is denoted as ½".

Step 2: Determining ¼"

After the inch is divided in half, find the largest division in each part again. The result is that both halves are split into four segments equal to ¼".

We now have the following measurements within one inch:

0, 1/4 ,2/4 (which simplifies to 1/2 by dividing the numerator and denominator of the fraction by 2), 3/4, 4/4 (simplifies to 1).

Step 3: Determining ⅛"

To determine the ⅛" section on the tape measure, you must divide ¼" in half, i.e., again, find the largest among the remaining divisions in this part. As a result, our inch already looks like the following:

0, 1/8 ,2/8 (simplifies to 1/4), 3/8, 4/8 (simplifies to 1/2), 5/8, 6/8 (simplifies to 3/4), 7/8, 8/8 (simplifies to 1).

Step 4: Determining 1/16"

The last, smallest divisions denote 1/16", dividing the ⅛" we found in Step 3 into two equal parts. It turns out our inch (the distance between 1 and 2 inches) is 16 same segments, not counting the zero marking the beginning:

0, 1/16, 2/16 (simplifies to 1/8), 3/16, 4/16 (simplifies to 1/4), 5/16, 6/16 (simplifies to 3/8), 7/16, 8/16 (simplifies to 1/2), 9/16, 10/16 (simplifies to 5/8), 11/16, 12/16 (simplifies to 3/4), 13/16, 14/16 (simplifies to 7/8), 15/16, 16/16 (simplifies to 1).

As finally, using divisions, one inch can be divided into several equal portions: 2, 4, 8, or 16, therefore:

1 inch = 2 x 1/2 of an inch, 4 x 1/4 of an inch, 8 x 1/8th of an inch, or 16 x 1/16th of an inch.

Imperial to metric conversion charts

The table shows all values previously obtained in millimeters.

The table shows the feet to inches, centimeters, and meters conversion.

How to read a metric tape measure?

If you see centimeter markings on a tape measure, this is the metric system. A distance of 1 cm equals 10 mm, and millimeters are usually not written but indicated by divisions (the largest is located in the middle, i.e. 0.5 cm or 5 mm).

10 cm equals one decimeter, and 100 cm equals one meter.

Tape measure examples

Example 1: What is 3/4" on a tape measure?

To find 3/4", divide the distance between the beginning of the tape measure (0") and 1" into four parts and measure three of them. Alternatively, you can measure 1/4" immediately across the largest division and then right again to find the largest division of the remaining ones. This segment will equal 3/4".

Example 2: What is 5/16" on a tape measure?

To find 5/16", divide the distance between the beginning of the tape measure (0") and 1" into 16 parts and measure five of them. Alternatively, you can measure 1/4" (by the second largest division) and then move one division to the right. This segment will equal 3/4".

Example 3: What is 3/8" on a tape measure?

To find 3/8", divide the distance between the beginning of the tape measure (0") and 1" into eight parts and measure three of them. Alternatively, you can measure 1/4" (by the second largest division) and then move two divisions to the right. This segment will equal 3/8".

Additional guides

You can read other valuable articles on our website, thanks to which you may avoid mistakes when choosing, buying, and installing doors:

• Standard size door.

• Pocket doors size.

• Barn doors size.

• Bi-fold doors size.

• Rough opening.

FAQ

1. What tips do you have for easily memorizing divisions on a tape measure?

1/2" is the longest mark in the middle of each inch.

1/4" is the second largest mark that divides in half every 1/2".

1/8" is the third largest mark that divides in half every 1/4".

1/16" is the smallest mark in the middle of each 1/8".