Online RulerHow to Read Sixteenths on a Ruler
On an inch ruler marked in sixteenths, each space between neighboring marks is 1/16 inch. Count those spaces from the whole-inch mark on the left. The third mark after 2 inches reads 2 3/16 inches. Count every division along the inch scale, including the taller lines.
- One inch contains 16 equal spaces on a sixteenth-inch scale.
- The eighth, quarter, and half marks count as divisions too. Their longer lines help you find your place.
- Reduce the fraction when both numbers share a factor. A reading of 6/16 inch can be written as 3/8 inch.
- Find the inch edge. Check that a full inch has 16 equal spaces before you start counting.
- Place the starting end of the object at the zero line. Keep the edge you are measuring parallel to the scale.
- Find the whole-inch mark at or just to the left of the other end. If the end lands on that mark, record the whole number.
- If the end lies past that mark, count the spaces to the line at the endpoint. Put that count over 16 and add it to the whole inches.
Count from a nearby mark
Use a tall line as a checkpoint when the small lines are hard to follow. The halfway line is 8/16 of the way across the inch. Two divisions to its right give you 10/16, or 5/8. You can also work backward from the next inch. A line one division before 4 inches is 3 15/16 inches.
Start past a worn edge
If the ruler's zero line is worn, line up the object with another whole-inch mark. Record the mark where the object begins and the reading where it ends. Subtract the start from the end. For example, a start at 1 inch and an end at 3 7/16 inches give a length of 2 7/16 inches.
Mark a length on paper
To mark 4 9/16 inches, put the ruler's zero line at your starting point. Find the half-inch line past 4, which is 4 8/16 inches. Move one division farther and make a small pencil mark beside the line. Keep the ruler in place while you check the count from 4.
Do I count the whole-inch line as the first mark?
Treat that line as the start of the count. The first neighboring line to its right is 1/16 inch farther along the scale.
What if the end falls between two lines?
For a reading to the nearest sixteenth, use the closer line. If the end looks halfway between the lines, you can record that it falls between the two readings.
Can I leave a reading as 12/16 inch?
Yes. It tells you how many divisions you counted. Write 3/4 inch if your worksheet or project calls for a fraction in lowest terms.