What Is The Diamond On A Measuring Tape For

Your tape measure may look like a simple measurement tool but it s equipped with a rich variety of useful marks that help construction and remodeling professionals work with greater speed and accuracy.

Getty images justin sullivan the next black diamond is 19 2 inches away from the first stud 38 4. It stands to reason those who make money for building will need tape measures that are a little more in depth than those of us who just get them out to check our height. The numbers that were mentioned above also come into play here. The first black diamond is at 19 2 and after that black diamonds appear at 38 4 57 6 76 8 and 96 or 8 feet.

That is one less stud for every 8 feet of wall counting the beginning and end studs. For instance every multiple of 16 inches is highlighted to help carpenters position studs and joists properly and black diamonds assist framers. This varies from measuring tape to measuring tape. The black diamonds give you the assistance that you need with your floor trusses.

That s another story for another day though. The black diamonds are. They start at 19 2 inches which was originally used in metric layouts. The tape measures also come with markings that are supposed to help you when it comes time to space your wall studs.

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Starting at the 19 2 inch mark the black diamond helps you find the center of the first stud. If you have a measuring tape longer than one metre 100 centimetres usually the metre s will receive a special marking as well often in a different color than the rest of the markings. The black diamonds on the top scale of a tape measure are for truss layouts for eight foot sheet goods. 96 inches divided by five gives 19 2 inches so five trusses per sheet.

So putting a diamond at 19 2 to allow quick layout.