Printable measuring tape

Print the PDF at Actual size or 100%, and check it first: a bank card must cover the card box exactly and the check line must measure 100 mm (or 4 in). Cut out the strips along the solid outlines, then join them in order — the end of strip 1 onto the grey tab of strip 2, its end line exactly on the start line, and so on. Each join is numbered on both pieces. Glue stick or clear tape both work; keep the strips straight as you join them.

As accurate as the print and the joins. A page printed with Fit to page usually comes out a few percent small, and 3% of a 60 cm head is almost 2 cm, more than a whole hat size — that is what the card box and the check line are for. Once they are right, the marks are where they should be to well under a millimetre; each join adds whatever gap or overlap you leave, so line up the end and start lines carefully. Paper does not stretch the way cloth tape does, which helps for body measurements.

Wrap the tape round the widest part of the head: across the forehead about 1 cm (half an inch) above the eyebrows, above the ears, and round the back. Keep it level and snug, not tight. The measurement in centimetres is the European size; US sizes are the circumference in inches divided by pi, to the nearest eighth, and UK sizes run one eighth smaller than US. The table on this page lists both. Between two sizes, take the larger.

Wrap the tape round the wrist where the watch or bracelet will sit — usually just above the wrist bone, towards the hand — snug against the skin, and read the number. Watch straps are usually sold by the range of wrist sizes they fit. For a bracelet, many makers suggest adding about 1–2 cm (½–¾ in) to the wrist measurement for a comfortable fit; the seller’s own size advice is the one to follow.

Measure round the base of the neck, where the collar sits, with one finger slipped between the tape and the neck so it is not tight. Collar sizes are in inches in the US and UK and in centimetres in most of Europe; use the cm-and-inch tape to read both at once. Shirt makers’ size charts differ in how much room they add, so compare your measurement with the chart of the shirt you are buying.

Waist: round the natural waist, the narrowest part of the body, usually a little above the navel, breathing out normally. Bust or chest: round the fullest part, under the arms and across the shoulder blades. Keep the tape level all the way round — in front of a mirror is easiest — and snug without pressing in. A 150 cm or 60 in tape covers most adults; choose 200 cm or 72 in for larger measurements.

A finger is too small for a strip this wide to give a reliable ring size: neighbouring ring sizes are only about 1 mm of circumference apart. Use the printable ring sizer instead: it has a narrow finger strip, circles to lay a ring on, and the same card check.

The slot turns the tape into a band you can use on your own. Cut the slot in the wider head, pass the far end of the tape through it, wrap the band round the wrist or head, pull it snug and read the number where the tape comes out of the slot. The scale starts at the slot itself, so the number you read is the full circumference.