How Big Is 9 Inches?

Ever wondered about the size of 9 inches and how it compares to the things we encounter every day? You might find it daunting to name some at first. But you’ll be surprised that several items near you can help estimate this length and easily visualize nine-inch lengths.

How long is 9 inches?

Before we do the comparisons, let’s see how long 9 inches is in other units. It’ll give you a better idea about this dimension. Also, it’ll help you to comprehend measurements in diverse units.

Especially in our globalized world where preferences vary from country to country, knowing different units is important. Like how long are 9 inches in centimeters or meters? Or, how many feet is 9 inches? 

In the metric system, nine inches is approximately equal to 22.86 centimeters, which is the same as 228.6 millimeters. This unit is commonly used in most countries and is a convenient reference point for international communication.

Another unit, the meter, is commonly used outside the US. It is used for measuring height or distance from one point to another. So, for those who prefer meters, nine inch is about 0.2286 meters. 

And if you want to convert 9 inch to feet, 9 inches is exactly three-quarters of a foot. [1 foot =12 inches]

9 in = 22.86 cm = 0.75 foot

Now that we have a grasp of its other unit value, let’s see what objects are 9 inches long around us.

How Big Is 9 Inches Compared To Everyday Things

Here are some everyday items to visualize how big nine inches are compared to common things lying around us.

1. Smartphone
2. Dinner Plate
3. A Standard Printer or Letter Paper
4. Three Baseballs
5. 3 Soup Cans
6. Dollar Bill
7. A 9 inches Square Pillow
8. Face Towel
9. Four Standard Bricks
10. Standard Small Pizza

1. Smartphone

Our first example brings us to the world of technology. It’s certainly the most common thing we have with almost everyone. Whether we’re checking emails, browsing social media, or capturing memories with photos, smartphones offer great connectivity like never before.

While the dimensions of smartphones vary, many models have a body of 6 in by 2.5 in. iPhone 14 & 15, for example, has a 5.78 inches long and 2.82 inches wide body. So if you take two such smartphones and put them side by side one vertically and one horizontally. You get 8.6 in which is close to a 9 inch measure.

If you are Google Pixel 8 user, then it is the same. This phone has a length of 5.9 in and width of 2.8 in. So comibing length and width of such two phones, you get 8.7 inches. Again this is very close to nine inches.

2. Luncheon Plates

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Another common everyday item is dinner or lunch plates. Though lunch plates are slightly smaller than dinner plates. While not always exactly 9 inches in diameter, many dinner plates come close to this size.

Usually, lunch plates come in around 9 inches. Know more about other plate sizes. 

A 9-inch size plate provides ample space for a hearty meal such as burger or sandwiches. Whether it’s a home-cooked dinner or a special dish from your favorite restaurant. The size of the plate influences the presentation of the food and can impact the dining experience.

3. A Standard Letter Paper

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Moving on to our next example, it’s one of our office supplies, a standard printing paper. We usually use A4 paper or letter-size paper.

While a standard US letter size paper typically measures 8.5 × 11 inches (21 x 29.7 cm). This paper has a width of 8.5 inches, which is close to 9 inches in length. A4 paper is slightly smaller having dimensions such as 8.3 X 11.7 inches.

Letter-size papers are widely used for everyday office print-outs, academic documents, and personal projects. So, it’s easy for us to understand the approximate value with this example. Whether you’re printing reports, essays, or flyers, the standard printer paper provides a reliable medium for conveying information and ideas.

4. Three Baseballs

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Bringing something from sports – baseballs. While not exactly 9 inches in diameter individually, adding three can help.

Each baseball has a diameter of about 2.86-2.94 inches (73-75 mm). So when you place three baseballs next to each other, they collectively occupy a space that’s a little shy of 9 inches.

Baseballs represent the excitement and camaraderie of America’s favorite pastime. Each baseball carries with it the memories of countless games, plays, and victories and heartbreaks. And now you know it can also help you picture how big 9 inches is.

5. Three Soup Cans

Let's take a trip to the pantry! We are familiar with soup cans available every local grocery or supermarket, right? It’s one of the common food items in my menu during the cold winter days. Did you know these cans can be a good example of 9 inch length?

The standard diameter of these cans is 3 inches. So if you line three side by side, you get a total of 9 inches along their diameter.

Bean cans or soda cans can be used as reference too. However, soup cans mostly come in this size. Be mindful that although most cans have this size not all of them are of this dimension.

6. One and A Half US Dollar Bill

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While a US dollar bill will not give you a 9-inch length reference, a one-and-a-half will.

A standard bill note in the United States measures approximately 6.14 inches long (15.6 centimeters) and 2.61 inches tall (6.6 centimeters). All denomination of US bills have the same size, so it doesn't matter which ones you have on hand. You just need two of them.

You can quickly estimate how tall or long nine inches is by imagining the length of a dollar bill and then placing another half right next to it. So you just need two notes to do so.

Dollar bills are excellent reference of 6 inch length! Read about more six inches long common objects.

7. A 9 inch Cushion

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The next one is cushions or pillows, one of the household items we have in everyone’s house. The most common sizes for these pillows are 17-20 inches. But for smaller sizes, 9x9-inch pillows are mostly used.

Whether used for lumbar support while sitting or for extra comfort while lounging, a 9-inch square pillow adds a touch of coziness to any space.

This article is exclusively written for MeasurementOf.

8. Face Towel

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You have of course heard about hand towels. It is a common peice of fabric we use mostly to wipe ourselves after a refreshing wash after returning home probably. However, what is a face towel? As the name suggests, it is a special towel to wipe off your face.

Many people fancy a separate towel for cleaning their face, may be after a shower, wash or just to wipe off sweat. These are more commonly used in beauty salons. The face towel is usally square shaped and about 12 or 13 inches on both sides. So three fourth of one side is about 9 inches.

Alternatively, you can use washcloth as a reference. Washclothes are about the same size. So three quarters of its side will give you nine inches.

9. Four Standard Brick

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A common building material, bricks can also help you visualize how long 9 Inches is. You can do so by stacking four standard bricks vertically.

Standard bricks in the States typically have a height of 2.25 inches with a length of 7.625 inches. When you stack four bricks on top of each other, the total height becomes exactly 9 inches. You can stack bricks to estimate 10 feet dimension too.

10. Pizza

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Regarding pizza, size matters, and a small size pizza is perfect for satisfying individual cravings or sharing with a small group. The standard small pizza has a size of 10 inches in United States for the big pizza houses. It is just an inch over 9. This may not be the best reference but a very common one indeed.

So if you know how big this pizza is, then you already know how long a 9-inch length would be. 

Conclusion

Various objects in our daily lives can work as a reference to 9 inches. From baseball to dollar bills, there will be items that can help you as a 9 in reference. Besides, it’s fun to learn whether it’s visualizing or making the 9-inch length with everyday objects. Find out which objects are as small as 2 centimeters long that you use almost daily!