What Does 8 Inches Look Like Compared To Common Things?

Ever found yourself puzzled when asked to work with 8 inches – be it for crafting, measuring, or imagining dimensions? It's time for no more confusion. By the end of this article, you will understand better how big eight inches truly is as we use everyday objects as reference points.

Keep reading on as we compare some of the familiar items in our daily surroundings with the dimensions of 8 inches.

How Big Is 8 Inches

So, how long is eight inches? In the imperial system, it represents two-thirds of a foot. To visualize, simply think of your hand from the palm‘s start to the middle finger‘s end.

You can also take a standard smartphone or the width of a regular paper sheet as an example of 8 inches. Or, just imagine eight quarters in a row; that‘s 8 in total!

If you are wondering what is 8 inches in centimeters, it‘s about 20.32 cm. Meaning that an object measuring eight inches would be roughly 20.32 cm if measured in metric units. You can use our inch to cm converter to calculate this.

It‘s also precisely equivalent to 203.2 millimeters.

If you convert inch to yard, you will find out that 8 in equals 0.2222 yard.

8 in = 0.67 ft = 20.32 cm = 203.2 mm = .2032 m = 0.2222 yd

We know you‘re wondering what object is 8 inches. Keep reading in the later section to find some common ones.

Common objects that are 8 inches

Here is a list of things around you that are about 8 inch long. They can be your makeshift rulers when you don‘t have the measuring tools.

1. An Average Male Hand
2. An average smartphone or tablet
3. Banana
4. 8 Paperclips
5. A Piece of Paper
6. The height of a regular pencil
7. Business Cards
8. 8 inches pizza
9. Soda Cans

1. An Average Male Hand

Image by Juan Pablo Serrano from Pexels

Our first and most common example is something we carry around with us everywhere – our hand! An average male hand, when fully stretched, is about 8 inches from the end of the mid-finger to the base of the palm. According to NASA, the average male hand length is 7.6 inches. But remember, an individual can have a hand size smaller or bigger than this size.

Isn‘t it fascinating that nature has given us an in-built measuring tool? We can just use our hand to check whether an object is eight inches long. If you have questions like, is 8 inches big for a hand? Know that an average male hand has this measurement.

So, next time someone asks how long 8 inches is, just pull out your hand and give them a rough estimate.

2. An Average Smartphone Or Tablet

Image by Maarten van den Heuvel from  Unsplash

Now, let‘s talk tech! The average smartphone or tablet screen is often around 8 inches diagonally.

Specifically, the iPad mini is a good example, as it‘s smaller than many other tablets. Its dimensions are 5.3 inches wide x 7.69 inches long. It has a screen size that diagonally measures 8.3 inches.

So, our second common item is not just a device; it can also be your on-the-go measuring companion!

Imagine you‘re out and about, and someone asks how big the new blockbuster movie poster is. Whip out your ipad, measure it with your it, and you have your answer!

3. A Banana

Image by Aleksandar Pasaric from Pexels

Bringing some delicious measurements with our next example – an average-sized banana! It‘s an everyday item that is good for your health and can also be a handy measuring tool, clocking in at around 8 in or 20 cm.

While bananas come in a variety of sizes, 8 inches is the medium length. Isn‘t it intriguing that your snack can also help you estimate lengths? It is!

Next time you‘re at a picnic, and someone asks how long the blanket needs to be for the perfect spread. Just grab a banana from the fruit basket, and you can make an instant measurement!

4. Eight Paperclips

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Most common office supplies – paperclips can also help you out in measuring 8-inch lengths.

Each paperclip, on average, is about 1 inch in length. If we line up eight paperclips, we can just craft ourselves an ad-lib ruler.

It may be a quirky way yet practical to measure lengths without the need for traditional rulers.

There are larger paperclips out there, up to 2 or 3 inches, but the standard size often falls around the 1-inch mark. Also, there are many 1-inch objects you can use for measuring 8 inches.

This article is exclusively written for MeasurementOf.

5. A Piece of Paper

Image by Alexander from Pixabay

Back to the basics – a simple piece of A4 or A5 paper is another example of our reference. Because a standard piece of paper can often be folded to create an 8-inch estimate.

The standard size of A5 paper, commonly used for notes and doodles, is 5.8 inches in width and 8.3 inches in length.

A4 paper, also a standard document size, has a dimension of 8.3 × 11.7 inches. It‘s not exactly 8 inches, but it‘s close enough to be a versatile tool for estimating lengths and widths.

You can also take your everyday notebook as an example. The typical size of a regular notebook in the USA is 4.33 x 8.26 inches (110 x 210 mm).

6. The Height Of A Regular Pencil

Image by Pixabay from Pexles

Just like your everyday notebook, take your pencil to make an 8-inch measurement. Specifically, an unsharpened wooden pencil‘s length is around eight inches, 7.5 inches to be exact.

From sketching to writing, pencils are the most common items we have in our school or office stuff. You can also use it as a measuring tool in an emergency. Here's everything you should know about pencils!

Just remember to find an unsharpened one for that perfect 8-inch estimate. Not the one you‘ve recently sharpened your pencil because it might not be 8 inches anymore. 

7. Width of four Business Cards

Image by Firmbee from Pixabay

Another common thing in our list is something you probably exchange more often than you realize– business cards!

These compact and essential networking tools often come in 3.5 × 2 inches standard size. Now, hold up eight of them together, and you‘ve got an ingenious 8-inch measuring tool!

So, your business cards are now your pocket-sized partners in practical measurements. It‘s also a prime example of how everyday items can serve multiple purposes.

You can use these visiting cards for estimating other measures from 12-inch to 2 inches!

Credit cards offer a similar reference. The standard sizes are typically 3.375 × 2.125 inches for these cards. So, placing four of them side by side gives you another wallet-friendly 8-inch measuring alternative.

8. 8 inches pizza

Image by Ivan Torres from Unsplash

No other fast food comes with a precise size like pizza. And an 8-inch size is the one perfect for the moments when you want a pizza all to yourself.

While 8 inch is a typical individual size, pizzas come in various sizes, ranging from personal pan sizes to massive party sizes. As you can easily visualize your pizza size, you can imagine how long 8 inches is.

9. Soda Cans

Image by Caspar Rae from Unsplash

You can also use regular soda cans to visualize how long 8 inches is. These familiar, cylindrical containers are not just for quenching your thirst; they also offer a neat little measurement surprise.

The diameter of a standard soda can is typically around 2.6 inches or 6.6 centimeters.

You might be wondering how we get to 8 inches with soda cans. Simple. Just grab three soda cans and line them up side by side. The combined diameter of these cans would be approximately 7.8 inches.

Even if it‘s the exact count, it‘s still pretty close to our 8-inch reference.

Conclusion

So we now know some everyday things around us that can be like secret rulers, especially around 8 inch long. Next time you need a quick guess at how long something is, just look around – the answer might be right in your hand or your favorite snack!