3 Mysteries of the Diameter Tape Measure

Mysteries of the Diameter Tape Measure
Mysteries of the Diameter Tape Measure

The diameter tape measure easily figures the diameter of a pipe or pipeline. All you have to do is wrap it around the pipe, and read off the diameter. Here are its mysteries..

    1. Why is the “zero” mark not at the beginning of the tape? It is a couple inches away from the beginning of the tape.
    2. Why does the end of the tape have a “loop” instead of a “hook”?
    3. Why are some calibrated in 100ths of an inch, and some in 64ths of an inch, and some in millimeters?

     

ANSWERS:

  1. By having the zero mark away from the beginning of the tape, you can easily line up the other part of the tape to the zero mark.
  2. Since zero is not at the end of the tape, there is no need to have a hook there. What is helpful, is to have a metal loop to hold onto, when wrapping the tape around the pipe.
  3. Different strokes for different folks. Automotive repair people prefer the 64ths of an inch calibration. Oilfield people prefer the 100ths of an inch version. And of course, some people use the metric system of measurement.

 

How to Measure the Diameter of a Pipe

How to Measure the Diameter of a Pipe
How to Measure the Diameter of a Pipe

I always enjoy explaining  how to measure the diameter of a pipe. Doing the measuring actually takes less time than explaining it. It’s easy, too, because the pipe diameter tape does all the work for you. It takes about 10 seconds to do this little task. All you do is wrap the od tape (diameter tape) around the pipe or pipeline, and read off the diameter directly from the tape. The video found here in the header picture pretty much shows you how simple it is.

Lufkin Diameter Tape (pi Tape)
Lufkin Diameter Tape (pi Tape)

This is a valuable tool for people in the oil and gas drilling business, automotive repair, boat repair, tree people, arborists, tree nurserymen, landscapers, and anyone who needs to know the diameter of a round object. This allows you to find the diameter without cutting it and measuring the diameter directly.