Inches are a common unit of measurement, especially in the United States. You’ll find inches on rulers, tape measures, and in the dimensions of everything from lumber to picture frames.
But sometimes, an inch isn’t precise enough. That’s where fractions of an inch come in. Instead of saying something is “a little over a quarter of an inch,” you can use a fraction like 5/16 to be much more exact.
So what exactly is 5/16 in inches? This article breaks down what that fraction means, how to convert it to a decimal, how it relates to the metric system, and how to find 5/16 on a tape measure.