names associated with that brand. It appeared that there were some mergers and acquisitions that I didn’t understand. Are they owned by another company? When did this happen? Where are the tapes made?
So, today I did a Google search to try to make some sense out of the history of Lufkin tapes. The search was not easy, because there seems to be another company by the name Lufkin Industries, and another one called Lufkin Trailers.
So here are the facts, as I know them today, in November 2024…….
In 1967, Cooper bought the Lufkin company.
In 2010, Apex Tool Group, LLC bought Lufkin. Crescent is part of the Apex group.
2017. Crescent Tool acquired Lufkin. Crescent Tool is still part of the Apex Tool Group, LLC.
Now, in 2024, Wiss, Lufkin, Nicholson, H.K. Porter, and JOBOX are all brands of Crescent Tools.
The tapes that we all love, are branded “Crescent Lufkin” at this time.
Lufkin tapes used to be made in the USA. I know, because the gift box used to say that in 1991 when I started selling them. Today, according to my supplier, they are made in Mexico and China.
So, without being too wordy, that is the concise history of the Lufkin Tape Measure.
When looking at blueprints, you notice that they are drawn to a specific scale. The scale is not the same for a room, a house, a neighborhood, or a development. The scale is noted at the bottom right corner of the drawing in the information box. Typical scales are:
1/4
1/8
1/4 could be used for “1/4 inch equals one foot”, or “1/4 inch equals 100 feet”, or “1/4 inch equals one mile”. It depends on the scale of the drawing.
If the drawing information box says “1/4 inch equals one mile”, then place the 1/4 part of the ruler along the object that you are measuring. If the object lines up with “9” on the ruler, then it is 9 miles long. Simple enough.
Remember, the clue to which scale to use, is in the information box on the drawing.