Metric on tape measures

Nowadays I work mainly in metric. I'm right handed. Using a steel tape measure on a board or similar I'll hook the tape over the left hand edge and pull it across to the right. On all the imperial metric tape measures I've ever seen the Inches scale is always runs along the top edge and the metric scale runs along the bottom when running from left to right.

But when using a tape measure surely most people use the top scale for accurate measurement ? Same as using a ruler when measuring a line on a piece of paper. So why are the inches always still on top ?

O.K. so why not buy a metric only tape measure instead ? Except that all the metric only tapes only have the scale on only the one edge - again the bottom edge which is most inconvenient. They compensate for not giving the you the imperial scale at the top by giving you bigger numbers. Basically the metric only tape is the combination tape with the imperial scale removed from the top edge of the printing plate.

Gold medal for prize chumps must go to B&Q. They do a nice two sided metre rule in aluminium with the two scales on the two edges metric and inches. Except the inches are at the top on both sides, they're identical.

Full marks to Wickes - theirs seem identical in every other respect including price except the metric is on the top edge on one side.

Its just I've never noticed this before and was looking to replace some steel tapes.

michael adams

Reply to
michael adams
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Yeah - I've had the same issue - more or less.

I *want* my tapes marked metric both edges. It's so rare I need to work with imperial, that I'm happy with metric only.

In fact as manufacturers internationalise their products, I would have thought they would want to drop imperial scales too.

Reply to
RubberBiker

On Thu, 1 Oct 2009 13:13:27 -0700 (PDT), RubberBiker had this to say:

I'd hope not.

Reply to
Frank Erskine

I suppose it'd be worth knowing what other markets the same tape measure's exported to, and what they use. It's all Imperial here in the US still (thankfully - even though I was brought up on Metric I find it a lot easier to work in feet and inches when building things) so if the same measure's also sold in the US you've got a potential market of 300 million there using primarily inches vs. 60-odd million in the UK wanting cm.

Reply to
Jules

In message , michael adams writes

I think this has come up a few times before, personally I'm 'ambidextrous' WRT to using mm or inches (and reading upside down or right way up), tend to use which seems most convenient, I have been known to use mixed measurements on the same piece of work. For me it seems easier to hook the tape over the right hand edge extend it with the left hand and pencil mark with the right hand, so that puts (upside down) mm at the top.

Reply to
bof

Fisco do metric only, with scales both edges, eg the Big T

Reply to
Bolted

Thanks for that. I checked the Buck and Ryan website earlier and only checked the Big T which seemed a bit unclear\doubtful, but on checking the Fisco Unimatic just now it clearly does have markings on both edges.

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thanks again.

michael adams

Reply to
michael adams

Me too.

Never noticed that before, but you are dead right.

Good point.

Just checked; Axminster own label, Wickes own label, Stanley Fat Max. All as you describe, imperial on top edge.

I bought a tape today by the way (OK, I admit it, I'm a tape freak). Very useful

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cos it measures internals by flipping the tape over.

Only paid £6 for mine though at my local BM.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

In the UK Stanley probably still have the lions share of the market as being the single biggest remaining prestige brand in hand tools. Including steel tapes. And they probably sell the same lines in both markets. They certainly are the leading name brand in at least one of the three biggest DIY shed chains B&Q .

I can't visualise in mm or cm to save my life. If asked how many cm tall I am I'd have to work it out from being approx. two metres tall and do the multiplication. However when it comes to marking stuff out from scale drawings metric is just so much easier I find. Having to double check that I've not confused mm and cm and not made anything ten times bigger or smaller than it needs to be is a bonus in a way

michael adams

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Reply to
michael adams

I think most of their tapes are availaible in either format, give them a call and find who has bought m/m stock of the one you want in the last few months - and hope someone has!

Reply to
Bolted

I have noticed that US origin tapes like Stanley have Imperial in larger font than metric & European tapes have larger Metric font.

Whats the convention for metric measurement BTW? For example should one write 150.2cm or 1520mm or 1.52m?

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Either metres or mm; cm, although sometimes a convenient measure are not.

Reply to
geoff

In the aerospace industry, we always used mm.

Dave

Reply to
Dave

Yes, then the metric scale which I mostly use, is next to the work and the numbers are the right way up.

Reply to
Michael Chare

It depends on context. I usually give building dimensions in metres, my height in centimetres and copper pipe in millimetres..

Colin Bignell

Reply to
nightjar

I'm right handed. When I want to use a circular saw to chop lots of short pieces off a long bit of timber I hang the timber off to the right of a bench and I hook the tape over the right hand end. The tape markings are therefore upside down. I just read it upside down, but it's easy to confuse a 6 with a 9. I don't suppose I can buy a tape that is marked the other way up?

It doesn't matter much now that I have a dropsaw since the short bits can be on the left.

Reply to
Matty F

TMH proves the perils of mixing decimals and cm, by ending up with the wrong length. I find anything under 10m is pretty easy to cope with in mm

Reply to
Andy Burns

On Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:44:03 GMT, "The Medway Handyman" had this to say:

Centimetres aren't standard SI units, and seem to be mainly used in schools.

Reply to
Frank Erskine

All my metric-only measures - of which there are *lots* - have scales on both edges: e.g.

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is that not what you meant?

Reply to
Mike Barnes

My partner, who is originally German, uses metres and centimetres and has to convert millimetres into centimetres to understand the measurement.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
nightjar

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