How To Read A Tape Measure

Understanding how to take a measurement is important to understand before you start any project. Read one inch. One-inch marks are longer marks that, for spacing reasons, are usually found near but not on the large numbers. Read half an inch. A half inch mark is centered between two one-inch marks and is usually has longest or second longest marks on the top half of the tape. There are 2 of these every inch. Lines marking a quarter of an inch often are not distinguished from the eighth inch marks. Read an eighth of an inch. Lines marking an eighth of an inch are the same length as quarter inch marks. Read a sixteenth of an inch. The sixteenth inch marks are usually the shortest lines on the measuring tape measure.