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Tape measures are a common staple that most people have on hand. The handy tool makes measuring things around the house easy and if you like to build or fix things, your going to need one at some point. While we all know how to use a basic tape measure, not everyone is as familiar with the various markings that come standard on them. The clearly defined inches and centimeters are what the average person goes off of, but what about those little black diamonds or the red and black boxes on them?
The accompanying video covers all of the answers to those questions and more. The tape measure tips it goes over will tell you everything that there is to know about the tool so the next time you reach for it, you’ll understand the markings and can put them to good use!
One of the main mysteries surrounding measuring tapes is the black diamonds on them. Before you can truly understand what they represent, you need to know a few other basic things. First is the red and black boxes, which are marked 16 inches and 24 inches respectively. The red 16inch box is the on center mark which shows where the most common separation for studs is located. The black 24inch box does the same, but is used to indicate stud separation in smaller types of buildings, like tool or gardening sheds.
The black diamonds are located exactly in-between these two marks. For carpenters and home builders, they allow one to lay five rafters underneath a standard 8 foot section of plywood. As such, the black diamonds mark the building industry standard for laying rafters, and so that is where you can expect to find the studs. When you ever need to hang photos, art, shelves, or anything else on the wall, they give you an excellent visual aid and way to measure out equal distances when setting things apart.
In addition to the black diamonds there are a few more neat things you may have never know about tape measures. Take for example the end of the tape, where you pull from, which features a small metal part. That piece has a hole in it that can be used to grab things like nails or screws in order to help hold the measuring tape in place. The side edge of this metal part can also be used as a sort of engraving tool to handily scratch or mark out distances when you haven’t got a pencil nearby.
Be sure to check out the short clip for more information and a better visual aid of everything covered above. Once you know everything about the markings on a tape measure, you can call yourself an expert on them!
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