3 Types of Tape Measures—And How to Use Them Like a Pro

2. Carpenter's Ruler

A traditional tool among carpenters and woodworkers. This tool typically features a sturdy, straight-edged design for precise linear measurements in woodworking projects.

Common Uses

• Marking wood. Carpenters and woodworkers rely on the carpenter's ruler to mark exact measurements on lumber for cutting, shaping, and assembly.
• Checking angles. With its straight edge and often integrated level vials, the carpenter's ruler is ideal for verifying angles and ensuring accuracy in carpentry and joinery work.
• Creating jigs. Carpenters use the ruler to create jigs and templates for repetitive cuts or shapes, ensuring uniformity across multiple pieces of wood.

3. The Very Useful, 100-Foot Tape Measure

This long tape measure is a common measuring tool for construction and landscaping. Its uses will turn to it anytime they need to measure large distances.

Common Uses

• Surveying land. Land surveyors utilize the 100-foot tape measure to accurately measure property boundaries, plot lines, and distances between landmarks.
• Construction layout. In large-scale construction projects such as building roads or erecting buildings, the 100-foot tape measure is essential for laying out foundations, footings, and structural elements.
• Landscaping design. Landscape architects use the 100-foot tape measure to map out garden layouts, pathways, and irrigation systems, ensuring precision in design execution and plant placement.

Metric vs. Standard Measurements

Metric increments progress logically, with each unit increasing or decreasing by a power of 10 compared to the previous one, ensuring ease of conversion. In contrast, standard increments offer a more complicated picture, requiring irregular conversions between units. Learning to convert between metric and standard measurements can be challenging because of the differing systems and increments they use.

Metric Unit Measurements (Metric Tape Measure)

• Based on units of 10, making conversions between different measurements simple.
• Common units of measure include millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), meters (m), and kilometers (km).
• Easy to understand and widely used in scientific, engineering, and global contexts.
• Examples of increments:
• 1 meter = 100 centimeters
• 1 kilometer = 1000 meters
• 1 centimeter = 10 millimeters

Standard Measurements (Imperial Units, aka the American Tape Measure)

• Imperial measurements are based on historical units and are less consistent than metric measurements.
• Common units include inches (in), feet (ft), yards (yd), and miles (mi).
• Still prevalent in the United States and some other countries, especially for everyday measurements.
• Examples of increments:
• 1 foot = 12 inches
• 1 yard = 3 feet
• 1 mile = 5280 feet

Special Notations & Symbols

As we discussed tape measures and the multitude of uses, DiMartino expanded to share that there are other markings on a measuring tape that are important to be aware of. These markings will allow you to use the tool to the best of your ability.

• Black Arrows. Extend the retractable tape measure and you'll notice black arrows, which symbolize feet, spaced out every twelve inches. The notation within the black arrow will articulate how many feet your measurement is at, meaning “1F” for one foot, “2F” for two feet, and so on.
• Red rectangles. Certain notations are used for framing studs or trusses which occur at 16-inch intervals. It's usually marked as a red rectangle on cased tape measures, but it could also be noted by another color or a different size marking. Per standard code, utility-grade studs should not be spaced more than 16 inches on center. So, having a measuring tape pulled out or extended to see these 16-inch interval markings when framing makes it easy to see where your studs are going to land.
• Small black diamond. The last symbol to be aware of is a small black diamond, which can be the most confusing by far — especially to a novice or DIYer. These identify the typical spacing of joists. Black diamonds land every 19 and 3/16ths of an inch (or 19.2”). When you take a sheet good, whether it be a drywall panel, plywood, or oriented strand board (OSB), it typically comes in eight-foot sheets. To divide the material evenly, line up the sheet with a black diamond as your starting point and you’ll end up with five marks within that eight-foot span.