Long tapes are at least 100 feet long and used for difficult measurements in construction. They use a hand crank instead of automatic rewind to prevent damage and are made of fiberglass to prevent rusting and stretching. They allow for accurate measurements even under water and are essential for accuracy in construction.
A long tape is typically a tape measure that is at least 100 feet (30.48 meters) long. The average tape measure used on a construction site is 25 feet (7.62 meters) long. There is usually a long tape carried around in the job box or toolbox that is used when a long measurement needs to be taken. Difficult measurements, such as squaring a wall or floor, are done using a long frame measuring tape. Due in part to the infrequent use of a long tape, the tape material is usually fiberglass instead of the typical metal to prevent rusting and sticking when the tape is pulled out.
Instead of using an automatic spring recoil system similar to those used on smaller tape measures, the Long Tape uses a hand crank that allows the operator to wind up the tape at the end of a measuring task. This is done, in part, due to the size of the spring a 100m tape would require to automatically rewind it. The speed generated by a long automatic tape rewind would also be dangerous for the user. This speed could also damage the tape, making it unusable on the job site.
Early versions of the long ribbon were constructed using cloth ribbon. This type of tape allowed for a slight stretch, which reduced the degree of accuracy of the long tape. In addition to the stretch, water would also permeate the tape, creating a heavy tape that would sag and distort the measurement. The inability of a fabric tape to record correct readings on a consistent basis led to the development of the fiberglass tape.
By implementing a fiberglass tape in the long measuring device, it is now possible to take accurate measurements even under water. Using a metal tape would not allow for this type of measurement without the tape rusting and becoming unusable. Improvements in tape case design have made rust and corrosion a thing of the past. Heavy plastic and fiberglass have been fused with space-age polymers and alloys to construct a tape measure case that is nearly impervious to damage from nature’s elements.
In the construction industry, there’s no substitute for accuracy. Measurements are perhaps the single most critical step in building any project. When taking measurements over a very long range, repeated use of a short measuring tool will not give as accurate a measurement as using a single long tape.
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