Five inches is about the same length as a standard smartphone or a bit longer than a typical credit card. There are many things in our daily lives that are 5 inches long, or nearly 6 inches. When we don’t have measurement converter tools in the hour of need, we can use these everyday items to estimate lengths of about 5 inches.
In this article, we will look at some examples of objects that are 5 inches long or close to it in our daily lives
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What do you mean by five inches long?
5 Inches is precisely equal to 12.7 centimeters or 127 millimeters or 0.4 feet. 5 inches is a bit shorter than half a foot. It’s about the length of a standard smartphone or a little longer than a credit card.
How Long is 5 Inches: Conversions to Remember
You can use the conversion factor:
1 inch = 2.54 centimeters to convert inches to centimeters.
Therefore, Five (5) inches is equal to 5 × 2.54 = 12.7 centimeters.
20 Objects Approximately Equal to 5 Inches
- Small Pocket Knife
- Regular Nail File
- Birthday Cards
- Eyeglasses
- Candy Cane
- Bookmark
- Hair Comb
- 2.5 Pink Erasers
- Post-it Notes
- Compact Mirror
- Half of the Chopsticks
- Bar of Soap
- Hand Method
- Standard Soda Can
- Smart Phones
- Uncapped Pen
- Teaspoon
- Two Tennis Balls
- Paper Clips
- US Dollar Note
Small Pocket Knife
Small pocket knife is about five inches when closed. It’s great for everyday tasks like opening packages or slicing fruit and is easy to carry in your pocket or bag. Next time you find yourself in a situation where you can’t find a measuring tape, you can use a pocket knife to help solve your problem.
| Length of Pocket Knife | Pocket knife is 5 inches long. |
Regular Nail File
The regular nail file is one of the objects that is approximately five inches long. It’s perfect for shaping and smoothing your nails. Easy to carry in your purse or travel bag. You can use it instead of a measuring tape.
| Length of Regular Nail File | Regular Nail File is 5 inches long. |
Birthday Cards
Birthday cards, which are around five inches tall, are great for sending heartfelt messages. They fit easily into envelopes and add a personal touch to gifts. When you’re busy with birthday preparations and things get misplaced, you can use the height of a birthday card to estimate 5 inches.
| Length of Birthday Cards | Birthday Card is 5 inches long. |
Eyeglasses
Eyeglasses usually have frames about five inches wide. They help you see clearly and come in various styles. While it might be surprising, you can actually use the width of eyeglass frames to estimate 5 inches.
| Length of Eyeglasses | Eyeglasses are 5 inches long. |
Candy Cane
A candy cane is about five inches long. This peppermint treat is popular during the holidays for its festive look and taste. So, whenever you’re enjoying one and need to measure something immediately, you can use it as a substitute for a measuring tape.
| Length of Candy Cane | Candy Cane is 5 inches long. |
Bookmark
Bookmarks, which are about five inches long, help you keep your place in a book. They can be made of paper, fabric, or metal and are easy to carry. They can assist you in quick estimation whenever you encounter something while reading or have a curiosity to measure something.
| Length of Bookmark | Bookmark is 5 inches long. |
Hair Comb
A haircomb is around five inches long. It helps detangle and style your hair and is small enough to carry with you. You can use it to measure the length of 5 inches very easily.
| Length of Haircomb | Hair Comb is 5 inches long. |
2.5 Pink Erasers
Two pink erasers, each two inches to 2.5 inches long, together measure about five inches. They are great for erasing pencil marks without smudging. Combine these erasers to use as a measurement tool when you need to estimate five inches, in addition to their usual purpose of erasing.
| Length of Two pink erasers | Two pink erasers are 5 inches long. |
Two Tennis Balls
Two tennis balls together measure close to 5 inches, making them a fun measuring tool. If you admire Roger Federer and enjoy watching him or playing tennis, you can use tennis balls as a convenient instrument to measure 5 inches.
| Length of Two tennis balls | Two tennis balls are 5 inches long. |
Post-it Notes
Standard Post-it Notes are about three by five inches. They are useful for notes and reminders in offices, homes, and classrooms. You can use these notes to measure 5 inches.
| Length of Post-it Notes | Post-it Notes is 5 inches long. |
Compact Mirror
Some compact mirrors are about five inches in diameter when opened. They are handy for quick grooming checks and fit easily in a purse. While it might seem unusual, a compact mirror can actually help you estimate 5 inches when you don’t have a measuring tape.
| Length of Compact Mirror | Compact Mirror is 5 inches long. |
Butter Knife
A butter knife is about 5 to 7 inches long, providing a close approximation for measuring items around 5 inches. These knives can serve as a substitute for a measuring tape when needed, in addition to their use for spreading butter.
| Length of Butter Knife | Butter Knife is 5 inches long. |
Half of the Chopsticks
Each chopstick is about five inches long, making a pair approximately ten inches. They are used for eating various foods, especially in East Asian cultures. Next time you order Chinese food or go out for a meal, you can save the chopsticks to use as a measuring tool for future needs.
| Length of Chopstick | Chopsticks are 5 inches long. |
Bar of Soap
A standard bar of soap is about five inches long. It’s used for bathing or handwashing and comes in various scents and formulas. You can use an unused bar of soap from your cupboard to estimate 5 inches when needed.
| Length of Bar of Soap | Bar of soap is 5 inches long. |
Hand Method
The human fist is about 4 inches long, and the tip of the index finger is about one inch long. Together, they measure about 5 inches, making this a practical tool for measurement.
| Length of Human Fist | Huan Fist is 4 inches long. |
Standard Soda Can
A typical soda can is about 4.83 inches tall. While this is slightly less than 5 inches, it’s close enough for general use. Recycling the can as a substitute for a measuring tape can be a practical solution, saving you from a real struggle when you need an approximate measurement.
| Length of Soda Can | Soda Can is 4 inches long. |
Smart Phones
The iPhone 13 Mini is 5.4 inches long. While it’s slightly longer than 5 inches, it can still be used as a handy measuring tool. Since many people have a mobile phone, it’s a practical solution to save time when you can’t find a ruler or tape measure to estimate 5 inches.
| Length of Phone | iPhone is 6 inches long. |
Uncapped Pen
A pen without its cap is usually around 5 inches long, making it a convenient measuring tool. When you’re in class or at home and need to measure 5 inches, you can use a pen without its cap for a quick estimation.
| Length of Uncapped Pen | Uncapped Pen is 5 inches long. |
Teaspoon
The handle of a teaspoon, without the bowl, is close to 5 inches, making it useful for measuring small items. This everyday object can be quite handy when you need a tool to measure approximately 5 inches.
| Length of Handle of a teaspoon | Handle of a teaspoon is 5 inches long. |
Paper Clips
Five paper clips lined up measure about 5 inches, demonstrating how everyday items can be used for measurement. Whether you’re in the office, at home, in the classroom, or anywhere else, if you have paper clips, you won’t have to worry if you can’t find measuring instruments to measure 5 inches.
| Length of Paper clips | Paper clips are 5 inches long. |
US Dollar Note
Two US dollar bills placed end to end measure about 5 inches, making them a handy tool for quick measurements. If you have dollar bills in your pocket, there’s no need to wait for a measuring tool to measure 5 inches.
| Length of US dollar notes | US dollar notes are 5 inches long. |
How big is 5 Inches: Measurement at Home
- To measure 5 inches at home, you can use a ruler or measuring tape to find the 5-inch mark. Alternatively, mark 5 inches on a piece of paper using a ruler and use this as a guide. You can also estimate by using your hand span, where the space between the tips of your thumb and pinky is about 8 inches long, so 5 inches is roughly a bit less than that. Another option is to use a 3×5 inch index card and mark 5 inches on it. If you prefer, you can print out a ruler from the internet to measure accurately.
How long is 5 Inches: Measurement while traveling
- To measure 5 inches while traveling, use your fingers as a reference—about 5 finger widths equal roughly 5 inches. Alternatively, you could compare it to a common object, like a dollar bill, which is about 6 inches long, and estimate accordingly.
Final Thoughts
5 inches is about the length of a smartphone screen or a standard TV remote. Using familiar items like these can help you quickly gauge 5 inches when needed.
