Some tape measures have a diamond every 16 inches, which is typically accompanied by a red box. (Image credit: Steven Jenkins) What are the red boxes at 16, 32 inches etc, used for? Some newer UK tape measures don't have the diamond. French Red Faces Over Trains that are “Too Wide.Some Imperial/Metric tape measures have diamonds for common joist width and red markings for common US stud wall gaps. Great Miscalculations: The French Railway Error and 10 Others. When NASA Lost a Spacecraft Due to a Metric Math Mistake. NASA’s Metric Confusion Caused Mars Orbiter Loss. Tape Measure Markings: What Are They For? Retrieved May 8, 2019, from Tape Measure Markings – What Do They Mean? Retrieved May 8, 2019, from Parts of a Tape Measure (Explained with a Diagram). When Did You Learn How to Use a Tape Measure? Retrieved May 6, 2019, from Give it some appreciation during your next project! This tool is often overlooked, but just as important as that hammer and drill. Now you know more about how that tape measure works and why it matters. You get the peace of mind knowing everything will always measure up for your company! The Bottom Line Source: BBC News Olympians Take it EasyĪthletes at the Sochi Winter Olympics didn’t exactly “go the distance.” Since the loop for the biathlon track was about 130 feet shorter than it needed to be, the track had to be repaired hours before the grand opening.Īre you a professional contractor or do you work for a construction company? Tape measures make excellent personalized business products, whether they’re on your team’s toolbelts or are used as free giveaways at trade shows. This was an expensive error that ended up costing the railway about $68.4 million. Source: BBC News French Trains Too WideĪ railway in France discovered that about 2,000 new trains were too wide for their station platforms. This led him to unexpectedly end up in the Bahamas, although he assumed he was in Asia. Source: Columbus Goes to the BahamasĬhristopher Columbus, the famous seafarer, miscalculated the circumference of the Earth when he sailed the ocean blue in 1492. As a result, he ended up being much too big for his enclosure, destroyed everything inside, and escaped until he was discovered on campus at Moorpark College. Source: Tortoise Destroys ZooĮmployees at the Los Angeles Zoo fumbled on the size of a 95-year-old Galapagos tortoise named Clarence. There have been far worse measuring blunders throughout history! Of course, those are only minor mishaps in the grand scheme of things. It’s in moments like these that a good tape measure is a lifesaver! Imagine buying a floor rug for your living room that doesn’t quite fit under the coffee table or a new bed for your apartment that you can’t get through the door frame. This four digit number, which is usually 0126, relates to the agency responsible for certifying the tape measure, the National Weights & Measures Laboratory in Middlesex. It’s not really an indicator of quality, but more so of the measurements set forth at a national level in Europe. CE Markĭoes your tape measure feature a “CE” mark? That means it conforms to European Union regulations. Arrows or StudĮvery 16 inches, you may see a double arrow, a number marked in red, or the word “STUD.” This helps you locate every stud that may run across a wall once you’ve located the first one. It’s simply listing the year that particular tape measure was manufactured. Go ahead and ignore that M number at the bottom of your tape. That’s the beauty of the flipped hook on the end of most tape measures! Manufacturing Year In some cases, it might be more practical to measure from above instead. Most tape measures are designed as Class 1 or 2. These refer to different classes, with the Roman numeral I indicating a more accurate measurement and the Roman numeral III being the least. You will sometimes see Roman numerals on a tape measure. These are spaced a little more than 19 inches apart and are meant for construction workers as they mark the standard spacing of trusses when building a roof. You’ll see a black diamond on some measuring tapes. You can use this to scratch a mark into a surface if you don’t have a pencil handy.
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