How to Read a Ruler Using Standard US Measurements

There are two basic rulers used by students in a classroom: the metric ruler and the standard ruler. Standard U.S. measurements consist of feet and inches. These rulers are used in shop classes to measure wood pieces to make bird houses, cutting boards and other projects. Students must know how to read the rulers to cut correctly sized pieces of wood for their projects.

Things You'll Need

• Ruler or tape measure

Instructions

1. Spend a few minutes observing the marks on the ruler. You will notice there are lines that are longer than others.

2. Look for numbers on the ruler. You will see two sets of numbers. First, you will see large numbers. Each number represents 1 foot. The next set of numbers is a little smaller. These numbers represent inches. There are 12 inches in each foot.

3. Look at the marks in between the numbers. The largest lines in between the numbers are the quarter inch marks. Four of these marks equal 1 inch.

4. Locate the smallest marks on your standard ruler. These marks are the eighth-of-an-inch marks. There are eight of these in each inch.

5. Take your knowledge of the numbers and lines on the ruler and practice locating various measurements. For example, to locate 4 feet, 2 3/8 inches, you would first locate the large 4. That is the 4-foot mark. Look for the small 2 that comes after the large 4. That is your 2-inch mark. Now count out three of the smallest marks that come after your 2. That is your three-eighths-of-an inch mark. You have now located the correct measurement.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice reading the ruler until you are sure you have the measurements down.

• When you measure your wood pieces, use a pencil to mark the exact measurement on the wood. You can erase the pencil if you get it wrong, whereas a pen is much harder to get off.

References

• WoodZone.com: How to Read a Ruler
• MonsterGuide.net: How to Read a Ruler