10 Common Things That Are 3 Inches Long

Intro

Are you looking for a list of common things that are 3 inches long? Then you are in the right place. Often we are in such situations where we don’t have any measuring tape or ruler around us to measure something we need to. Objects with small lengths that we know can help us in such cases. 

Three inches is a small measurement. Many common objects we see around are of this length. Here we’re going to look at some of the most common things of this length, such as:

1. Three US Quarters
2. Half of a US dollar bill
3. Credit or Debit card
4. Twist ties
5. Nail
6. Soup can
7. Paper clips
8. Hockey puck
9. Five AA or seven AAA batteries
10. Three crown caps

Let’s deep dive into these one by one.

1. Three US Quarters

Starting with one of the most common items: quarters. Each quarter is nearly 1 inch in diameter (0.955 inches, to be exact). So if you place 3 coins together in a line ensuring they are touching each other at the sides, you’ll get to almost 3 inches length. 

If you don’t have a ruler or measuring tape, using 3 quarters is an easy way to reference 3 inches long objects. You can use quarter coins to measure any number of inches by placing that many coins in a line, not just 3 inches tall items. You can use commonly found 1 inch reference objects and imagine them multiplied by three to get an estimate of three in! But reading the rest of this article will be easier, I bet! 

2. Half of a US dollar bill

Photo by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

What else can be more common than a dollar bill? And if you wish to reference 3 inches, then it’s a perfect option as well. A US dollar bill measures up to 6.14 x 2.61 inches. This means folding it in exactly half will give you just a little over 3 inches in length.

And the interesting part is all dollar bills have the same size. So whether you have one dollar, twenty dollars, or even a hundred-dollar bill, you can use them to understand how long is 3 inches.

So next time you have a dollar bill, remember to fold it exactly in half and observe the length.

3. Credit card or Debit card

Photo by Avery Evans from Unsplash

All credit cards worldwide have a standard dimension to fit any cash machine. Commonly, the standard length of any credit card is 3.3 inches across. Which is not exactly 3 inches, but can be considered approximately 3 in. So you can use it to figure approximately how long 3inches are. These cards also work great as reference for 10 centimeters or 7 inches!

A debit card will do the same for you if a credit card is unavailable. Almost every business card has the same dimensions as a credit or debit card. So you can use them as well. 

4. Twist Ties (3 Inch)

Another common thing you can use for your 3 in estimation is a twist tie. Those are the ties of the small metal or plastic strips with a wire running through the center. It is used to fasten or secure objects such as cable wires, garbage bags, bread bags, grocery bags, or plastic wrappers.

They are available in different sizes, starting from 3 inches. These particular size twist ties commonly come with cable wires, labels on different grocery items, chocolate wrappers, etc.

So next time you get one, save it for later to use it as 3 inches reference.

5. Nail

Photo by Maxim Kazachkov on Pixabay

Nails are one of the common household items that you will find in any toolbox. These are available in many types, sizes, and thicknesses. Generally, nails are made of steel but can also be made with copper, bronze, and aluminum. Although there are many sizes and types, the most common nail comes with a length of 3 inches.

You’ve probably heard of nail sizes referred to as 2d, 3d, and so on, up to 16d for common nails. Starting from one inch, they are available up to six inches in length. 10d nails are 3 inches tall. These are mostly used for many projects, like household staff or farming projects.

6. Soup Can

Photo by Tina Designs from Pixabay

The soup can - another excellent example. Most of us have these cans in our homes. The standard diameter of a soup can is 3 inches. So you can also use soup cans to measure how big is 3 inches.

You can also use bean cans or even soda cans as references. They come in the same diameter most of the time.

Though remember, the diameter of the upper lid and the widest point of the can may not be the same. If you want accuracy, a bean can, or soup can will be more suitable to understand how long is 3 inches.

This article is exclusively written for MeasurementOf.

7. Paper Clips

Paper clips are another common thing that we can add to the list. These are very common in schools, homes or offices. We use them almost daily. These paper clips are available in different sizes. The most common one is 1 inch long clips.

So just like the quarters, we can line up 3 paper clips from end to end, which will give us exactly 3 inches.

Paper clips hold papers or other documents to keep them bound together. They can also be used as decoration items in crafting. 

8. Hockey Puck

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels

A standard hockey puck measures 3 inches in diameter and one inch in thickness. So it can be a useful example of measuring 3 inches.

You can do this in two ways. Since one hockey puck’s diameter is exactly three inches, we may use the length from one side to the other of the flattest area on a hockey puck. Another way is vertically lining them up. Putting three hockey pucks on top of each other will give us exactly 3 inches height together. 

Hockey pucks are normally black and white but can also be found in other colors (like red or yellow). They also may include advertising logos and other symbols on them.

9. Five AA or Seven AAA Batteries

AA or AAA batteries are small size wonders that we need everyday in our lives. Say for a TV remote or the wall clock, these batteries are essential. I believe we all are familiar with using these batteries.

The diameter of a standard AA battery is 0.57 inches, while for AAA battery it is 0.41 inches. So you can combine a few of them together to get an idea about what is 3 inches in length means. For AA batteries, line 5 of them side by side to get about 2.85 inches while for AAA batteries take 7 of them. This will give you 2.87 in. So in both cases, you will get a little less than a perfect three inches.

10. Three Crown Caps

Another very common item on the list is universal crown caps. You have seen them on standard size glass bottles used for soft drinks, soda water or beer. Crown caps generally have a diameter of 26mm (1.02 inch). So three such caps placed one after other will give you a length close to three inches, a little over the exact 3.

Crown caps are made of tin free steel mostly which makes them more affordable. These caps provide maximum sealing pressure on the content inside the bottle and ensure the drinks don’t lose their fizz! 

Bottom line

Knowing the approximate length of common things is great. It can help you out if you don’t have any ruler or tape nearby and need to measure the length of something. Here we’ve included just a few of them. Pretty sure you can find loads more if you keep your eyes peeled.