Nail (Cloth)
A nail is a traditional unit of length used in cloth measurement, equal to 2¼ inches or approximately 5.715 centimeters. It was commonly used by tailors and fabric merchants in England to measure small lengths of fabric.
The term “nail” likely originates from the practice of marking lengths on a measuring stick with notches or nails, making it easy to measure fabric quickly. The nail was a convenient subdivision of the yard, with 1 yard = 16 nails.
Though obsolete today, the nail remains an interesting part of historical textile measurement systems.
Summary:
1 nail = 2¼ inches (5.715 cm)
1 yard = 16 nails
Used historically in tailoring and fabric trade
Originates from notches or nails on measuring sticks
Yard
A yard is a unit of length used mainly in the United States, the United Kingdom, and some other countries. One yard equals 3 feet or 36 inches, which is about 0.91 meters. Yards are often used to measure things like fabric, sports fields, or short distances. For example, an American football field is 100 yards long. The abbreviation for yard is "yd". While the metric system is widely used worldwide, yards are still common in everyday life and certain industries in countries that use the imperial system.
No conversions available for length.