What Is a Metric Ruler Used For?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 26, 2020

A metric ruler is used to measure the length, height and width of an object or the distance between two points, objects or places. Depending on the length of the metric ruler, it can be divided into millimeters, centimeters, decimeters or meters.

A metric ruler, also called a rule or, especially in the printing industry, a line gauge, is a measuring instrument used in technical drawing, geometry, engineering, printing and construction to rule straight lines and calculate distances. As such, metric rulers often have distance markings along their edges. Woods, plastics and metals are among the materials used in making metric rulers.