Why is size in MM and not Inches?

pipojasper · #1 2006-08-20, 5:36pm

This might be stupid, but why does everyone use MM instead of Inches when describing/listing their beads? I don't really know what 30mm, or 50mm or whatever size they are is comparable to. I know some presses come in different mm sizes and that makes it easy to figure out bead size, but what if you don't use a press? How do you figure it out then (my office supply store doesn't carry a metric ruler BTW)? Is there a reason not to use mm and just go with inches? Is it becuase metric measurements are more common worldwide? TIA!

dogmaw · #2 2006-08-20, 5:40pm

It is tradition. Or, if you want a better answer, it is because gemstones and crystals are in mm.

evilglass · #3 2006-08-20, 5:45pm

wal-mart has tons of plastic rulers with metric on one side and inches on the other. I've honestly never seen a ruler with out them both for sale

pipojasper · #4 2006-08-20, 5:49pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by evilglass

wal-mart has tons of plastic rulers with metric on one side and inches on the other. I've honestly never seen a ruler with out them both for sale

ROFL... go figure! I had the sales man looking with me for rulers with mm, still couldn't find them! Here I am thinking I'm gonna have to order one online (what a dope). I'll have to go to Wally World tomorrow! Thanks!

Kevan · #5 2006-08-20, 5:52pm

All jewelry is described primarily in mm instead of inches because a mm is very small and it's easier to explain the difference between 2mm and 4mm than between 3/32 and 1/16 of an inch. It's easier to do math with mm than fractions.

Get used to it. You have to know it, there's no escaping it.

Here is a converter. Bookmark it.

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/length_conversion.php

MaryBeth · #6 2006-08-20, 7:00pm

I use a digital caliper. It is much easier than using a ruler - although a ruler will do!

Mr. Smiley · #7 2006-08-20, 7:01pm

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Solid-Brass-...QQcmdZViewItem

Dale M. · #8 2006-08-20, 7:03pm

Just keep in mind that one inch is equal to about 25mm... So if object is 12 mm its about 1/2 inch if its 50mm its about 2 inches....

Dale

Kevan · #9 2006-08-20, 7:16pm

I found it easy to know that a dime is about 10mm too.

Dale M. · #10 2006-08-20, 7:20pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevan

I found it easy to know that a dime is about 10mm too.

And a quarter (25¢) is about 25mm...

Dale

Kevan · #11 2006-08-20, 7:21pm

What's a nickle? I'd guess 20.

Toni Lutman · #12 2006-08-20, 8:01pm

Do you have a Harbor Freight near you? An inexpensive digital caliper will make it soooo much easier. I have one that reads in both mm and inches.

playswithfire104 · #13 2006-08-20, 8:38pm

Damn! Why didn't they make us learn this stuff in school! I know MM is popular but I just can't wrap my brain around it! I even have a brass measure thingie and still can't get it!

But then again I never said I was the sharpest tool in the shed.

retta jual · #14 2006-08-20, 9:52pm

The best answer I have come with is that it is easier to write "13mm" than it is to write "one and one half inches" or "1-1/2 inches" or "1.5 inches". Thats 4 key strokes as apposed to 10 at the least.
Oh well..it sounded good to me.

Teague · #15 2006-08-20, 10:03pm

I think it's because the majority of the world uses the metric system. It's really much more logical than ours.

Teague

klrglass · #16 2006-08-20, 10:11pm

Multiply the mm by .0394 and that will give you inches (50MM x .0394 = 1.97")

Kevan · #17 2006-08-20, 10:16pm

I gave you a link to a converter. You can just enter either inches or millimeters and it will tell you. No math involved. I use it all the time. I always get someone who emails me to ask "how big in inches is 12mm?" I send them the link.

I am not doing math.

BTW, I just had some dark chocolate MM's They were good. I think they were about 8mm lentils.

Margrieten · #18 2006-08-21, 1:39am

Isn't it time, that America is going to use mm, cm, meters instead of 13/63 inch, feets and etc. Pfffff
1 inch = 2,54 cm = 25,4 mm.
1 meter= 100 cm = 1000 mm
Using the metric style is much easier, thrust me!

navarre · #19 2006-08-21, 2:34am

Thats actually a really good question -

In many trades and manufactures theres historical reasons for the varying measures being used (I'm a watchmaker and its been metric for a very long time)

Perhaps it comes from the times when Venice ruled the bead world (I am assuming Venice was metric like most of Europe)

BTW - Australia converted back in the 1970's - I had the pleasure of being the class that was on the cutover year between Metric and Imperial during my school years - we got both systems drummed into us. I think in feet and Miles for long distances - metric for small distances - MPG for fuel consumption - and litres when filling the thing.

Its almost enough to send you batty

barb · #20 2006-08-21, 4:50am

I use 25 mm = 1 inch approximation but I also bought a Professional Combo Circle template that has mm/inches and I just drop my bead in the right circle for size.

Barb

Sue in Maine · #21 2006-08-21, 5:33am

Yeah, I got caught on the cusp of that conversion from inches to mm's too- and it didn't take at all! I'm tooooo danged old to change now so I just limp along doing the best I can. I agree with you. Give it to me in inches, which is something I can understand.

Sue

Swampy · #22 2006-08-21, 5:48am

Quote:

Originally Posted by pipojasper

This might be stupid, but why does everyone use MM instead of Inches when describing/listing their beads? I don't really know what 30mm, or 50mm or whatever size they are is comparable to. I know some presses come in different mm sizes and that makes it easy to figure out bead size, but what if you don't use a press? How do you figure it out then (my office supply store doesn't carry a metric ruler BTW)? Is there a reason not to use mm and just go with inches? Is it becuase metric measurements are more common worldwide? TIA!

The United States, Liberia, and Burma (or Myanmar) are the only countries that continue to use the outdated colonial units of measurement.

Try calculating the weight of water contained in a tank, 60 inches x 60 inches x 40 inches tall?

I can't.

Now try calculating the weight of water contained in a tank, 1.5 mtr 1.5 mtr x 1 metre tall?

I can do it in my head;

=1.5x1.5x1
=2.25 cubic metres
=2250 litres
=2250 kilograms

What confuses people is when they try to imagine 'hmmm, how big is that in gallons?' instead of embracing a completely new system of measurement, they confuse themselves trying to convert back. They lack the ability to adapt to something new and accept change.

Heather/Ericaceae · #23 2006-08-21, 9:14am

*grin* Living in Canada is fun. People my age (20s & 30s) and younger were only taught metric, but our parents were taught only imperial, and since our major trading partner is the US, most of our goods are presented in imperial formal. And construction is very much imperial as well. So I'm pretty confused. At least in Europe everything is uniform. I'm glad I didn't have to use imperial in Science class, though. It would feel like using Roman numerals for multiplying.

Come on, United Stateians! Switch already!

Your grandchildren will thank you.

-Heather

Solana · #24 2006-08-21, 9:24am

I just remember that 1/4 inch is around 6mm (the typical crystal size I purchase). Then, I just work from there!

lunamoonshadow · #25 2006-08-21, 2:11pm

For the longest time (when I first started bidding on beads) I kept a brass caliper on my keyboard...now I can read the description & go "oh, about this big" with my fingers

...makes my mom (and my little friend who is Nikki's newest fan) insane..."but *how* do you know that???"...measured enough beads I guess...

GypsyRose · #26 2006-08-22, 3:50am

Quite funny. I'm 39 and so grew up in Oz using only metric at school. However at home Mother only used imperial, and I can remember being bagged at school, maybe grade 3, for measuing a chair height in feet! Must admit I use inches and feet interchangably with mm & cm, however only use m and km for larger distances. And the older legal units of chains perches and roods HELP!!!!

Again with cooking, can interchange ounces and pounds with gram and kg easily. Pints and quarts with mL and L.

Coose between the two and I'd have to say metric, Metric, METRIC - it's easier to work with factors of 10 than all the different imperial divisions.

HOWEVER
Can we alway report our baby's birth mass in pound and ounces??? It's so easy to visualise. Couldn't tell you what my babies (born late 90s) were in kg! Pounds and ounces they are!!!

glass_beads · #27 2006-08-22, 12:16pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by pipojasper

ROFL... go figure! I had the sales man looking with me for rulers with mm, still couldn't find them! Here I am thinking I'm gonna have to order one online (what a dope). I'll have to go to Wally World tomorrow! Thanks!

I betcha that it was so right in your face that you overlooked it -- ya know what I mean -- I roam the house in search of my glasses and they are right on my head! hahahaha (I do this several times a week!)

I have *never* seen a ruler without metric on it somewhere, either on the back or on the top of it. Yard sticks usually have it on the back, wooden rulers usually have it on the top row, bottom row inches, plastic walmart-type rulers usually have it on the top row, inches on bottom row, fabric tape measures usually have it on the back side. Remember it will be (cm) and the little tick marks are the (mm). I find using a ruler cumbersome -- since you plan to order online I would get a caliper. You will get so much use out of it. It's really worthwhile to get a caliper. Skip the ruler

Emily · #28 2006-08-22, 1:44pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by glass_beads

I have *never* seen a ruler without metric on it somewhere, either on the back or on the top of it.

I have four rulers in my office right now -- three nice sturdy hardwood ones marked in inches ONLY, and one cheapo flimsy thing that feels like it's made of balsa wood that has inches on one edge and metric on the other. I don't remember for sure, but my guess is that the nice sturdy ones are actual office supplies, and I bought the one with the metric on it myself (probably when I started buying beads on eBay). I work in a government office -- figures we wouldn't be wise to the metric system yet.

glass_beads · #29 2006-08-22, 2:33pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emily

I have four rulers in my office right now -- three nice sturdy hardwood ones marked in inches ONLY, and one cheapo flimsy thing that feels like it's made of balsa wood that has inches on one edge and metric on the other. I don't remember for sure, but my guess is that the nice sturdy ones are actual office supplies, and I bought the one with the metric on it myself (probably when I started buying beads on eBay). I work in a government office -- figures we wouldn't be wise to the metric system yet.

Darn government rulers! And to think, those rulers you have probably cost the taxpayers $3,415 a piece! LOL!! Just kidding. The one ruler in our house that I *thought* didn't have mm on it, does...lol...every single one we have does. Even my quilting ruler has metric on it...lol!

pipojasper · #30 2006-08-22, 2:43pm

Thanks for all the great info everyone! My $0.59 Wally World ruler will have to work for me till I get a caliper online!