What Is The Diamond On A Tape Measure For

On top of that there s a separate reason why some tape measures have roman numerals on them and it s actually very important.

Tab1962 istock getty images for instance every multiple of 16 inches is highlighted to help carpenters position studs and joists properly and black diamonds assist framers constructing roof trusses. 96 inches divided by five gives 19 2 inches so five trusses per sheet. This spacing allows for six supports in each 8 foot length. Class 1 i is the most accurate.

The numbers that were mentioned above also come into play here. The black diamonds give you the assistance that you need with your floor trusses. They start at 19 2 inches which was originally used in metric layouts. And yes the metric system is much easier than the imperial system.

Lloyd april 5 2019 reply. The tape measures also come with markings that are supposed to help you when it comes time to space your wall studs. That s another story for another day though. There are four levels of tape measure accuracy.

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So in a perfect world you should be able to make pencil etches at your red marks to easily identify the placement of the studs. The black diamonds on the top scale of a tape measure are for truss layouts for eight foot sheet goods. Any explanation to this discrepancy with your tape measure. Class 2 ii the second most accurate with class 3 iii logically being the third.

16 inch spacing is for stud placement in walls. The next black diamond is 19 2 inches away from the first stud 38 4 inches from the beginning of the tape measure and the diamonds go all the way to the 96 inch mark or 8 feet. Many tape measures add red numbers or some other graphical standout every 16 inches a very common spacing for studs in house framing.