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I actually have a question about how (home) construction works with the metric system. Is anyone actually building to millimeter precision? Only talking about h

by atonse 2y ago

I actually have a question about how (home) construction works with the metric system. Is anyone actually building to millimeter precision? Only talking about home construction here. Here in the US it's mostly 8th (~3mm) of an inch or 16th of an inch (~1.5mm), but there's often some leeway kept because of the imprecise nature of rough lumber, expansion/contraction, etc. And those gaps are usually taken care of more with seals, caulking, etc. Is stuff built down to the millimeter in Europe and how do you account for rough materials being bent/warped, etc?

seanhunter 2y ago
I think different tolerances are used for different materials. For some things (eg industrial glass) millimeter tolerance in Europe[1] matches 1/32nd tolerance which is what is used in the US[2] [1] for example https://www.glastroesch.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Service/Fachwissen/Toleranzhandbuch/Sanco_Toleranzenhandbuch_EN_02_2022.pdf https://www.glastroesch.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Service/Fa... [2] for example https://a3glassfabricator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/tolerance-standards-new-2020.pdf https://a3glassfabricator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/tol...
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
lrasinen 2y ago
Haven't built a house, but some indoor construction notes: Measurements are specified in mm, yes. How well they're adhered to depends on the application. Factory-made kitchen cabinets, for example, are usually 600 mm wide, and this is pretty spot on (and since it's chipboard it won't warp much). The doors are specified a few mm under, so 597 mm for example. Drywall comes in at 1200 mm; again, this is quite accurate. The studs then go on a convenient fraction, usually either 400 mm or 600 mm. However, there's much more leeway in precision since you don't see the studs once the wall is up. And yes, seals and caulking and floor molding and other such tricks are used to cover up gaps where necessary. --- Personal anecdote: we recently got new a new fridge and a new freezer. I'd made measurements of the installation location (1200 mm), checked the appliance widths (595 mm), and figure it'd be tight but doable. Turns out the wall was slightly crooked, and I'd measured it near its widest location. Ended up cutting out the (chipboard) wall on one side.
- db48x 2y ago
  What I think is funny is that lumber and carpentry over there are done in units of 300mm for exactly the same reason we use 12 inches per foot: divisibility. Divisibility by 10 is useless for these types of projects, but divisibility by 3 and 4 are not!. And 300mm is just another name for the foot. You say that you’re using metric, but you’re really not. Your ancestors just uselessly multiplied all the numbers by 25.

by atonse 2y ago

seanhunter 2y ago

I think different tolerances are used for different materials. For some things (eg industrial glass) millimeter tolerance in Europe[1] matches 1/32nd tolerance which is what is used in the US[2] [1] for example https://www.glastroesch.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Service/Fachwissen/Toleranzhandbuch/Sanco_Toleranzenhandbuch_EN_02_2022.pdf https://www.glastroesch.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Service/Fa... [2] for example https://a3glassfabricator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/tolerance-standards-new-2020.pdf https://a3glassfabricator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/tol...

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

lrasinen 2y ago

Haven't built a house, but some indoor construction notes: Measurements are specified in mm, yes. How well they're adhered to depends on the application. Factory-made kitchen cabinets, for example, are usually 600 mm wide, and this is pretty spot on (and since it's chipboard it won't warp much). The doors are specified a few mm under, so 597 mm for example. Drywall comes in at 1200 mm; again, this is quite accurate. The studs then go on a convenient fraction, usually either 400 mm or 600 mm. However, there's much more leeway in precision since you don't see the studs once the wall is up. And yes, seals and caulking and floor molding and other such tricks are used to cover up gaps where necessary. --- Personal anecdote: we recently got new a new fridge and a new freezer. I'd made measurements of the installation location (1200 mm), checked the appliance widths (595 mm), and figure it'd be tight but doable. Turns out the wall was slightly crooked, and I'd measured it near its widest location. Ended up cutting out the (chipboard) wall on one side.

db48x 2y ago
What I think is funny is that lumber and carpentry over there are done in units of 300mm for exactly the same reason we use 12 inches per foot: divisibility. Divisibility by 10 is useless for these types of projects, but divisibility by 3 and 4 are not!. And 300mm is just another name for the foot. You say that you’re using metric, but you’re really not. Your ancestors just uselessly multiplied all the numbers by 25.