What is a Ruler

A leader is a maker with measurement markings ~ above it supplied for measuring illustration straight lines. Students, engineers, contractors, and makers usage rulers for math, construction, architecture, sewing, landscaping, and more.

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According come Dictionary.com, a leader is a strip of wood, metal, or other material having a directly edge and also usually significant off in inches or centimeters, used for illustration lines, measuring, etc.<1>

Several varieties of rulers encompass wooden or steel rulers, yardsticks, seamstress tapes, ice measures, carpenters rules, and also architects scales.

Rulers have actually measurements in imperial and metric, imperial-only, or metric-only. Get much more information top top rulers, including different types and uses, or download and also print among our complimentary printable rulers.

How to use a ruler – Standard royal Measurements


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The markings ~ above a typical ruler stand for the fractions of an inch. The markings ~ above a ruler from the start to the 1″ note are: 1⁄16“, 1⁄8“, 3⁄16“, 1⁄4“, 5⁄16“, 3⁄8“, 7⁄16“, 1⁄2“, 9⁄16“, 5⁄8“, 11⁄16“, 3⁄4“, 13⁄16“, 7⁄8“, 15⁄16“, and also 1”. If the measure is end 1″, just use the number top top the ruler and add the fraction. Because that instance, if you’re 2 ticks past the number 3 tick, then the measure is 3 1⁄8“.


Reading a ruler starts with knowledge what all the ticks mean. The biggest ticks on a ruler stand for a full inch, and the distance between each big tick is 1″.
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The big ticks in in between the inch markings are half-inch markings, and also the distance in between an inch tick and a half-inch mite is 1⁄2“.
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The mid-sized ticks in between the customs ticks and also half-inch ticks room the quarter-inch ticks. The distance in between a quarter-inch tick and also an inch mite or a half-inch mite is 1⁄4“.
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The smaller ticks are the eighth-inch ticks and may be the smallest or 2nd smallest markings top top the ruler. The distance in between an eighth-inch tick and the other larger ticks is 1⁄8“.
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The the smallest ticks on a leader are the sixteenth-inch ticks. The distance between a sixteenth-inch tick and also the other larger ticks is 1⁄16“.
Metric rulers have actually centimeter and millimeter markings. The bigger markings these stand for a centimeter.
The smaller ticks ~ above a metric ruler stand for a millimeter. There are 10 millimeters in a centimeter, for this reason there are 9 millimeter ticks in between each centimeter tick.

Ruler Measurements: customs Fractions on a Ruler

These space the measurements and fractions that room on a ruler and also the decimal and also millimeter metric equivalents. If you require to transform larger inch fractions come decimal or metric, usage our inch fraction calculator.

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Fraction, Decimal, and also Millimeter tantamount Measurements

Ruler portion measurements convert to indistinguishable decimal and millimeter metric values.FractionDecimalMillimeters
1⁄16“0.06251.5875
1⁄8“0.1253.175
3⁄16“0.18754.7625
1⁄4“0.256.35
5⁄16“0.31257.9375
3⁄8“0.3759.525
7⁄16“0.437511.1125
1⁄2“0.512.7
9⁄16“0.562514.2875
5⁄8“0.62515.875
11⁄16“0.687517.4625
3⁄4“0.7519.05
13⁄16“0.812520.6375
7⁄8“0.87522.225
15⁄16“0.937523.8125
1″125.4