| nail (cloth) | 1 nail (cloth) | 2 nail (cloth) | 3 nail (cloth) | 4 nail (cloth) | 5 nail (cloth) | 6 nail (cloth) | 7 nail (cloth) | 8 nail (cloth) | 9 nail (cloth) | 10 nail (cloth) | 11 nail (cloth) | 12 nail (cloth) | 13 nail (cloth) | 14 nail (cloth) | 15 nail (cloth) | 16 nail (cloth) | 17 nail (cloth) | 18 nail (cloth) | 19 nail (cloth) | 20 nail (cloth) | 21 nail (cloth) | 22 nail (cloth) | 23 nail (cloth) | 24 nail (cloth) | 25 nail (cloth) | 26 nail (cloth) | 27 nail (cloth) | 28 nail (cloth) | 29 nail (cloth) | 30 nail (cloth) | 31 nail (cloth) | 32 nail (cloth) | 33 nail (cloth) | 34 nail (cloth) | 35 nail (cloth) | 36 nail (cloth) | 37 nail (cloth) | 38 nail (cloth) | 39 nail (cloth) | 40 nail (cloth) | 41 nail (cloth) | 42 nail (cloth) | 43 nail (cloth) | 44 nail (cloth) | 45 nail (cloth) | 46 nail (cloth) | 47 nail (cloth) | 48 nail (cloth) | 49 nail (cloth) | 50 nail (cloth) | 51 nail (cloth) | 52 nail (cloth) | 53 nail (cloth) | 54 nail (cloth) | 55 nail (cloth) | 56 nail (cloth) | 57 nail (cloth) | 58 nail (cloth) | 59 nail (cloth) | 60 nail (cloth) | 61 nail (cloth) | 62 nail (cloth) | 63 nail (cloth) | 64 nail (cloth) | 65 nail (cloth) | 66 nail (cloth) | 67 nail (cloth) | 68 nail (cloth) | 69 nail (cloth) | 70 nail (cloth) | 71 nail (cloth) | 72 nail (cloth) | 73 nail (cloth) | 74 nail (cloth) | 75 nail (cloth) | 76 nail (cloth) | 77 nail (cloth) | 78 nail (cloth) | 79 nail (cloth) | 80 nail (cloth) | 81 nail (cloth) | 82 nail (cloth) | 83 nail (cloth) | 84 nail (cloth) | 85 nail (cloth) | 86 nail (cloth) | 87 nail (cloth) | 88 nail (cloth) | 89 nail (cloth) | 90 nail (cloth) | 91 nail (cloth) | 92 nail (cloth) | 93 nail (cloth) | 94 nail (cloth) | 95 nail (cloth) | 96 nail (cloth) | 97 nail (cloth) | 98 nail (cloth) | 99 nail (cloth) | 100 nail (cloth) |
| span | 0.25 span | 0.5 span | 0.75 span | 1 span | 1.25 span | 1.5 span | 1.75 span | 2 span | 2.25 span | 2.5 span | 2.75 span | 3 span | 3.25 span | 3.5 span | 3.75 span | 4 span | 4.25 span | 4.5 span | 4.75 span | 5 span | 5.25 span | 5.5 span | 5.75 span | 6 span | 6.25 span | 6.5 span | 6.75 span | 7 span | 7.25 span | 7.5 span | 7.75 span | 8 span | 8.25 span | 8.5 span | 8.75 span | 9 span | 9.25 span | 9.5 span | 9.75 span | 10 span | 10.25 span | 10.5 span | 10.75 span | 11 span | 11.25 span | 11.5 span | 11.75 span | 12 span | 12.25 span | 12.5 span | 12.75 span | 13 span | 13.25 span | 13.5 span | 13.75 span | 14 span | 14.25 span | 14.5 span | 14.75 span | 15 span | 15.25 span | 15.5 span | 15.75 span | 16 span | 16.25 span | 16.5 span | 16.75 span | 17 span | 17.25 span | 17.5 span | 17.75 span | 18 span | 18.25 span | 18.5 span | 18.75 span | 19 span | 19.25 span | 19.5 span | 19.75 span | 20 span | 20.25 span | 20.5 span | 20.75 span | 21 span | 21.25 span | 21.5 span | 21.75 span | 22 span | 22.25 span | 22.5 span | 22.75 span | 23 span | 23.25 span | 23.5 span | 23.75 span | 24 span | 24.25 span | 24.5 span | 24.75 span | 25 span |
A nail, as a unit of cloth measurement, is generally a sixteenth of a yard or 2 1/4 inches (5.715 cm). The nail was apparently named after the practice of hammering brass nails into the counter at shops where cloth was sold.
| Name of unit | Symbol | Definition | Relation to SI units | Unit System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nail (cloth) | ≡ 2 1⁄4 in | = 0.05715 m | Other (Length) |
| nails (cloth) | spans | nails (cloth) | spans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | = 0.25 | 4 | = 1 |
| 1.5 | = 0.375 | 4.5 | = 1.125 |
| 2 | = 0.5 | 5 | = 1.25 |
| 2.5 | = 0.625 | 5.5 | = 1.375 |
| 3 | = 0.75 | 6 | = 1.5 |
A span is the distance measured by a human hand, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger. In ancient times, a span was considered to be half a cubit. Sometimes the distinction is made between the great span (thumb to little finger) and little span (index finger to little finger).
| Name of unit | Symbol | Definition | Relation to SI units | Unit System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| span | span | ≡ 9 in | = 0.2286 m | Imperial/US |
| spans | nails (cloth) | spans | nails (cloth) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | = 4 | 4 | = 16 |
| 1.5 | = 6 | 4.5 | = 18 |
| 2 | = 8 | 5 | = 20 |
| 2.5 | = 10 | 5.5 | = 22 |
| 3 | = 12 | 6 | = 24 |
| nails (cloth) | spans |
|---|---|
| 1 | = 0.25 |
| 4 | = 1 |
| Symbol | Definition |
|---|---|
| ≡ | exactly equal |
| ≈ | approximately equal to |
| = | equal to |
| digits | indicates that digits repeat infinitely (e.g. 8.294 369 corresponds to 8.294 369 369 369 369 …) |