# Alternatives to Imperial AND metric length? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-to-imperial-and-metric-length/810784 "2018-03-18T16:27:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-to-imperial-and-metric-length/810784/1 "2018-03-18T16:27:26Z")
While working on craft projects, I find myself with surprising frequency wishing that I had a ruler demarcated in some measure bigger than 1/16 inch but smaller than 2 mm (about 1/12 inch). Basically I wish that I had access to a slightly over-sized inch. Is there some rare, obscure measure that still has a niche use somewhere that one can obtain a ruler for? Or does anyone make straight edges marked with an arbitrary scale? ---
**Author:** ![Seren359](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@Seren359](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seren359)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-to-imperial-and-metric-length/810784/2 "2018-03-18T16:32:25Z")
1/10th, 1/8th Just get a decent measure. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-to-imperial-and-metric-length/810784/3 "2018-03-18T17:45:10Z")
Don’t rulers for print of different size have increments around your zone of interest? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-to-imperial-and-metric-length/810784/4 "2018-03-18T17:56:25Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Don’t rulers for print of different size have increments around your zone of interest? BINGO! Typography is typically measured in “points” = 1/72 inch or “picas” = 6 points or 1/12 inch. But apparently there’s something called an “agate” or in the UK a “ruby” that’s 5.5 points, or just slightly over 1/13 inch. AND you can actually get rulers marked in “agates”! [https://www.amazon.com/18-Stainless-Point-Agate-Ruler/dp/B073V4X923](https://www.amazon.com/18-Stainless-Point-Agate-Ruler/dp/B073V4X923) THANK YOU! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-to-imperial-and-metric-length/810784/5 "2018-03-18T18:32:59Z")
[Chinese inch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cun_(unit)) = 1.312 inches, with Japanese and Hong Kong variants. Basically obsolete, though I once almost accidentally bought a tape measure that was marked in it.[Like these claim](https://www.amazon.com/uxcell%C2%AE-60inch-Button-Retractable-Measure/dp/B0097A91E0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521397928&sr=8-1&keywords=chinese+inch+tape+measure). ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-to-imperial-and-metric-length/810784/6 "2018-03-18T18:43:07Z")
Alternatives to metric and Imperial? [US Customary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_customary_units). [Japanese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_units_of_measurement). [Chinese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_units_of_measurement). [Indian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_units_of_measurement). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-to-imperial-and-metric-length/810784/7 "2018-03-18T18:56:11Z")
I once found myself using what I assumed was a metric ruler marked in centimeters, but which turned out to actually be marked in 32nds of a foot. I gather that it was meant to be used for scale drawing. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-to-imperial-and-metric-length/810784/8 "2018-03-18T19:45:31Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > BINGO! Typography is typically measured in “points” = 1/72 inch or “picas” = 6 points or 1/12 inch. But apparently there’s something called an “agate” or in the UK a “ruby” that’s 5.5 points, or just slightly over 1/13 inch. AND you can actually get rulers marked in “agates”! [https://www.amazon.com/18-Stainless-Point-Agate-Ruler/dp/B073V4X923](https://www.amazon.com/18-Stainless-Point-Agate-Ruler/dp/B073V4X923) > > THANK YOU! 5.5 points is 1.94 mm. You really have an application where 1.94 mm ruling is acceptable but 2.0 mm is too large? ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-to-imperial-and-metric-length/810784/9 "2018-03-18T19:54:42Z")
I use an architect scale {[image](https://www.rexart.com/media/alv110pc_lg.gif)} … alternately there’s 12.6 microchains to an inch … ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-to-imperial-and-metric-length/810784/10 "2018-03-18T20:30:39Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > 5.5 points is 1.94 mm. You really have an application where 1.94 mm ruling is acceptable but 2.0 mm is too large? Very long story short: I’m doing craft projects with whole pieces of standard non-metric paper sizes; and measuring in millimeters always leaves everything just a little off. Whereas even as funky a measurement as 5.5 points works more often than not. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-to-imperial-and-metric-length/810784/11 "2018-03-19T03:42:42Z")
Yeah, an architect’s rule is perfect. I use them a lot for scaling blueprints. Office Max, $4. When using a particular scale, mark it with a piece of tape so you don’t have to spin it around 6 times to find the one you need. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-to-imperial-and-metric-length/810784/12 "2018-03-19T05:09:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I once found myself using what I assumed was a metric ruler marked in centimeters, but which turned out to actually be marked in 32nds of a foot. I gather that it was meant to be used for scale drawing. Or for people who just feel like three-eighths-of-an-inch increments are the best. 🙂