Twelve inches is the equivalent of one foot in length, or in imperial measurements, it is a little over 30 cm.
If you want to be able to get an idea of just how long 12 inches is without having to find a measuring tape, then it can be useful to know some common household objects that have a measurement of one foot. This will allow you to use these objects as a measuring tool, or you can use them to visualize how big 12 inches would be.
Long Ruler
Rulers have been used for a long time to measure small flat objects and also to draw straight lines accurately.
You’ll commonly find rulers in a classroom or in a child’s pencil case. The ruler we are talking about here is not the smaller-sized ruler that would fit in a small pencil-sized pencil case because these rulers are just 6 inches long.
For an item that is 12 inches long, you will need the longer length of ruler that is exactly 12 inches or 30 cm. Most rulers will have metric and imperial measurements marked on them, so they can be used in a wide variety of countries.
If you only have the smaller-sized ruler, you could work out 12 inches in length by placing the ruler down twice in a row.
Zip Ties
Zip ties are long and slender pieces of plastic that are also known as cable ties because they are very useful for tying bundles of cables together, making them neater and more manageable.
However, these items can also be put to good use in a variety of ways, for example, for securing address tags to luggage, for securing holiday string lights in place, and for attaching plants to trellis to give them support.
Zip ties can come in various lengths, but the standard length of a zip tie is 12 inches, so if you have a pack laying around the house, you could use a zip tie to measure 12 inches.
Loaf of Bread
The size of a loaf of bread can vary based on how big the loaf pan is that it is being baked in. A common size for loaf pans for home baking is 12 inches long, so if you make your own bread at home, then your loaves of bread will consequently be 12 inches long.
Loaves of bread purchased from the grocery store will also vary in size, but again, 12 inches is a very common size of pre-sliced bread.
2L Soda Bottle
A 2-liter soda bottle is the standard size of soda bottle for family bottles of soda. These are a standardized size that allows them to fit easily on the shelves of grocery stores and in-home refrigerators.
If you measure a 2-liter soda bottle, you will find that it is 12 inches long, or the equivalent of one foot. This is handy to know so that you can use an empty soda bottle as a unit of measurement if you are measuring in feet.
Size 14 Men’s Shoe
A US size 14 men’s shoe is 12 inches long. If you are a size US 14 in shoes, or if a member of your household is a size 14 shoe, then you could use their shoes to measure distances of 12 inches or one foot.
If you use a shoe to measure distances, remember that it is the inner sole that will measure 12 inches and not necessarily the outer sole if this is bigger.
For this reason, you should choose slimline shoes to measure with rather than chunky-soled shoes with lots of excess rubber around the base of the shoe.
If you just want a rough measurement of 12 inches, then you could use any man’s shoe ranging from a US size 13 to a US size 15. Alternatively, use a man’s actual foot as a way to measure 12 inches.
Foot Long Sub
The foot-long sub is a popular type of sub sandwich that, you guessed it, measures one foot long. As we know that one foot equates to 12 inches, which means that a foot-long sub will be 12 inches long.
You could use a foot-long sub as a reference for understanding how long 12 inches is or visualize two six-inch subs lined up, one in front of the other.
2x Dollar Bills
US dollar bills are all exactly the same size, irrelevant of the denomination of money. This is quite unusual, as most other countries have paper currency that differ slightly in size depending on the amount. In the US, dollar bills measure just over 6 inches in length, and this will be the case whether the bill is $1 or $100.
If you want to be able to measure 12 inches in length without having to get a ruler or a tape measure, just grab two dollar bills out of your wallet and line them up lengthways. This won’t give you an exact 12-inch measurement, but it will be extremely close, so it is ideal for taking approximate measurements.
As most people will always have access to a dollar bill, it’s worth remembering that these are roughly six inches in length so that you can use them to gauge the size of other objects.
12 Hockey Pucks
A hockey puck is exactly one inch in diameter, which is the measurement across the middle from one side to the other. If you have a collection of hockey pucks, you could line 12 of them up in a row to give you the equivalent of 12 inches in length.
2 Ballpoint Pens
A ballpoint pen will measure around six inches, and this includes the lid. If you want to be able to estimate roughly 12 inches in length, then stand up to ballpoint pens on top of each other, or lay them down lengthways end to end.
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