Introduction

In the EU, measurements are given in metres and millimetres. 52cm is written either as 0.52m or 520mm. 2m + 12.4cm is always 2.124m or 2124mm. In this book, we have given imperial conversions in brackets, where appropriate, but many DIY goods on sale will only list the metric measurement.

Linear Measurements

1 meter (1 m) is approximately 3ft 3in (39.37in).
1 in, when converted to metric, is 25.4mm.

However, when you go shopping, you will find that there is slight difference between the actual conversion and the manufacturers' conversion, so that 1 in items could be manufactured as 25mm. Because the manufacturer's conversion is always fractionally less than the actual conversion from imperial measurements, you should always measure in metric to avoid mistakes.