19 inches is the same as 1 foot 7 inches, and in metric terms, it translates into 0.4826 meters.
19 inches is quite difficult to measure. It’s considerably longer than a foot but much shorter than a yard (3 feet). Knowing how to measure 19 inches by eye isn’t a skill you’ll need very often, but it may come in handy in the future.
In this guide, I’ll show you 9everyday items that measure close to or precisely 19 inches to help you guesstimate this hard-to-gauge length without rulers or tape measures.
4 Soda Cans
Soda cans come in a variety of sizes, depending on which country you come from. In the United States, soda is typically sold in 12-fluid-ounce cans that measure 4.84 inches in height. That means you would need about 4 of them to reach the 19-inch mark.
Alternatively, if you drink out of the tall and slim cans, which measure 6.125 inches tall, you would only need to stack 3 of them on top of each other to reach 19 inches.
19 Quarters
The United States Mint will tell you everything you need to know about a coin’s dimensions. For instance, a quarter measures 0.95 inches in diameter, so to measure 19 inches using quarters as a reference, you would need slightly over 19 quarters to get there.
Alternatively, if all you can recall is the diameter of a dollar coin, which measures 1.043 inches, you would need just about 18 of them to measure 19 inches in length. And if all you have are pennies, you would need 25, or the equivalent of a quarter in monetary terms, to measure 19 inches.
2 Shoeboxes
If you purchased a pair of brand news shoes recently, or if you have a stack of old ones in your closet right now, go get it. There’s a chance that it will measure about 10 inches wide if it’s a box for men’s shoes. As for shoeboxes for women, they might be closer to 7.5 inches wide.
To get to 19 inches using the width of a shoebox as your reference, you would need 2 men’s shoeboxes minus an inch. With women’s shoeboxes, you’ll need almost 2.5 of them to get to 19 inches in width. As for children’s shoeboxes, 19 inches is equivalent to slightly more than the widths of 3 of them.
2.5 16.9-fluid-ounce Water Bottles
Like soda cans, water bottles sold at supermarkets and convenience stores can come in different sizes. The most popular size, at least in the US, is 16.9 fluid ounces, which is about the same as half a liter.
Such a bottle measures just over 7.5 inches in height. So, just like women’s shoeboxes, you would need 2.5 of them to get the full 19 inches.
Height of 40-inch TV
If you’ve ever been TV shopping before, you’re probably well aware that the marketed size of a TV only refers to the distance from one corner to the opposite corner. For instance, a 40-inch TV is 40 inches diagonally, leaving the width and height of the TV to your imagination.
But if you use a simple screen size calculator, it can be pretty easy to figure out the dimensions of a 40-inch TV. For instance, a 40-inch TV with a 16:9 aspect ratio will measure just about 19 inches. However, a 40-inch TV with a 21:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio will be about 15.75 and 24 inches, respectively.
1/3 Queen-Size Mattress
Mattresses are one of the hardest things to shop for—not just because they can cost quite a lot but because figuring out how large of a mattress you need in your bedroom is a challenge. One of the more popular sizes among adults is Queen size.
A Queen-size mattress measures about 60 inches wide and 80 inches in length. So, to measure 19 inches, try imagining that you’re slicing the mattress into thirds widthwise. 1/3 of those widths would give you just about 19 inches, plus or minus an inch.
2 Lunch Plate
Lunch plates are those paper or Styrofoam disposable plates that you typically take with you to picnics and barbecues. Even though they come in a variety of shapes, the most commonly used lunch plate size is 9 inches in diameter.
2 of them would get you to 18 inches in diameter, so you’d have to find a way to make up for the lost inch. Might we suggest using the length from the tip of your thumb to the top-most knuckle as a reference for measuring 1 inch?
9.5 Business Cards
If you speak to a card printer, you can ask them to print your business card in any way you like. Some of them are even willing to print creative shapes or designs to make your business cards stand out. However, most of them will follow a simple business card template that measures 3.5 wide and 2 inches long.
So, using the length of the business card, you would need exactly 9.5 of them to reach 19 inches. If you use the longer side of the card, roughly 5.5 of them will help you get to the 19-inch mark.
3 Dollar Bills
Regardless of the denomination, a United States dollar bill will measure precisely 6.14 × 2.61 inches. This, of course, is assuming that the bill doesn’t have any folds, tears, or missing portions. And we’re also assuming that the dollar bill was printed after 1929.
So, if you take a dollar bill out of your wallet and lay 3 of them next to each other widthwise, you would need slightly over 3 of them to get the full 19 inches.
Conclusion
Let me repeat: measuring 19 inches without proper measuring tools can get pretty confusing, considering how strange the figure is. However, if you have references you can keep in your mind’s eye, such as the 9 items I mentioned earlier, then maybe it won’t be so hard.
If you found this article helpful, please share it on your social media. I’d also love to hear what other items measure 19 inches that you can come up with.
Leave a Reply