Introduction

Dimensions are uniform symbols that indicate measurements of objects. Dimensions display all measurements that are needed to make a part from a print. The purpose of this chapter is to review the meaning of dimensions and show how they are displayed on a print. Prints are generally dimensioned in inches, which may be shown as fractions or decimals. Most drawings use decimals because industrial equipment is calibrated in decimals. Metric measurements are also used and some drawings show both inches and millimeters. Dimensions may be arranged according to need or they may be arranged according to one of several systems. When making a part from a print all dimensions must be read.