How to Measure Height With a Tape Measure
Tape measures are used to measure height, length and width. They come in various sizes and materials. There are tape measures made of cloth ribbon, nylon or plastic ribbon and other materials. The vast majority of tape measures sold in America in the 21st century are made of light-gauge tin strip wound around a spring-loaded hub that retracts the tin "tape" when its user releases pressure on the tape. Measuring height with a tape measure is very simple as long as the object you are determining the height of is freestanding and does not need to be held in place. If it does, you should have someone assist you by holding the object in place while you take the desired measurements.
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Instructions
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Position the object you are measuring vertically. Have someone hold it in place if necessary.
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Start at the ground directly next to the object. Hold the tape measure firmly against the ground and pull the tape measure up to the top of the object. Mark the height of the object on the tape with your finger. You can also start the tape measure at the top of the object and pull it down to the bottom.
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Observe where on the tape your finger is. This will be the height of the object, in inches, unless you need to include the length of the tape measure as part of the measurement to have the item's true height.
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Tips & Warnings
Be sure to add the length of the tape measure to the measurement if you held the tape measure housing on the ground with the tape facing up. For example, if your tape measure is 3½ inches long and the object had a measured height of 28 inches--that is, the tape marking said 28 at the point where the tape exits the housing, its real height would be 31½ inches. To measure your own height, stand straight up against a wall and have someone mark behind the top of your head with a pencil. Afterwards, measure the distance from the floor to the mark made. Note that most tape measures are in delineated in inches, not feet, and that you will need to convert them to feet if feet is the variable you wish to measure in. To convert from inches to feet, divide the number of inches by 12.
Keep your hands away from the sharp end of the tape when retracting the tape into the metal compartment.
