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Tools for people who convert units.
A short list of tape measures, lasers, yardsticks, scales, thermometers, and books that belong next to a unit converter. Each item has a link for Amazon.co.uk and a link for the same, or the closest, listing on Amazon.com.
As an Amazon Associate, Fathom earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and stock are set by Amazon and may change.
Tape measures
Metric and imperial blades for the workshop, the van, and the kitchen drawer.
Stanley
Stanley FatMax tape measure
Wide blade with metric and imperial markings, BladeArmor coating, and a true-zero hook. UK listing is 8 m / 26 ft; the US listing is the 25 ft FatMax.
Stanley
Stanley FatMax site tape
A jobsite FatMax with a tough hook and long standout. UK listing is the 8 m Xtreme; the US listing is the 25 ft magnetic FatMax.
Amazon Basics
Amazon Basics 16 ft / 5 m tape measure
A compact retractable tape with SAE and metric scales — the one to leave in a drawer.
Laser distance measures
Point-and-click metres and feet when a tape will not reach.
Bosch Professional
Bosch Professional laser measure
Jobsite laser with Bluetooth, area, volume, and angle. UK listing is the GLM 50-27 C (50 m); the US listing is the GLM165-27CGL (165 ft).
Bosch
Bosch pocket laser measure
A small laser for rooms rather than sites. UK listing is the EasyDistance 20; the US listing is the GLM100-23, to 100 ft.
Stanley / WEN
Pocket laser distance measure
Point-and-click distances that fit in a pocket. UK listing is the Stanley TLM40 (12 m); the US listing is the WEN 10110 pocket laser.
Yardsticks and metre sticks
Folding rules and wooden sticks — still the fastest way to mark a cut.
Stabila / QWORK
Wooden folding rule
A folding stick with metric and inch marks. UK listing is the Stabila 1607, 2 m; the US listing is a 6 ft 6 in wooden folding rule.
Stabila / Westcott
Wooden measuring stick
A straight wooden rule for marking cuts. UK listing is the Stabila 1407 folding yardstick, 2 m; the US listing is the Westcott 36 in yardstick.
Charles Leonard
Charles Leonard wooden yardstick, 36 in
A lacquered 36-inch yardstick with a hanging hole. The US listing is the same maker’s 36 in wooden rule.
Hemline / Westcott
Wooden yardstick
Hardwood marked in centimetres and inches. UK listing is a 1 m stick; the US listing is a pack of Westcott 36 in wood yardsticks.
Weighing scales
Grams, ounces, kilograms, and pounds, in the kitchen or on the bathroom floor.
Salter / Etekcity
Digital kitchen scale, 5 kg / 11 lb
Add-and-weigh, plus grams, ounces, millilitres, and fluid ounces. UK listing is the Salter Aquatronic; the US listing is the Etekcity 11 lb kitchen scale.
Salter / Etekcity
Compact digital kitchen scale
Grams, pounds, and liquid units with tare. UK listing is the Salter Pebble; the US listing is the Etekcity stainless kitchen scale.
OMRON
OMRON body composition scale
Weight plus BMI, muscle, and fat, with a Bluetooth app. UK listing is the VIVA; the US listing is the BCM-500.
Thermometers
Celsius and Fahrenheit for rooms, ovens, and surfaces.
ThermoPro
ThermoPro room thermometer and hygrometer
Indoor temperature and humidity with a °C / °F switch. UK listing is the TP49; the US listing is the closely related TP50.
ThermoPro
ThermoPro infrared thermometer
Non-contact surface temperatures for ovens, griddles, and HVAC — not for body temperature. UK listing is the TP30; the US listing is the TP420.
Books on units and measurement
Histories of the metre, the imperial system, and why we measure at all.
James Vincent
Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement
How counting, surveying, and standardisation took over modern life. UK and US editions of the same book.
Ken Alder
The Measure of All Things
The seven-year meridian survey that defined the metre, and the error two astronomers tried to hide.
Humble Math
Measurement Basics workbook
A practice book for converting length, temperature, volume, and mass, with an answer key. UK edition uses imperial; the US edition uses US customary.
Jerry Z. Muller
The Tyranny of Metrics
A short book on what happens when institutions measure the wrong thing — useful after a day converting units.
Connie Dotson
Fundamentals of Dimensional Metrology
A textbook of gauges, calipers, and standards that still treats metric and imperial as living shop languages.
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