Tape Measure (5-meters)

A five-metre tape measure, the length that sits in most tool belts. Five metres reaches across the great majority of rooms, walls, door and window openings, roof spans between supports, and anything being set out on a slab, which is why it outsells both the shorter pocket tapes and the long survey ones. The retractable blade curls stiff enough to stand out unsupported for a metre or two, so one person can measure alone rather than needing somebody to hold the far end. Used by every trade there is - joiners, masons, plumbers, electricians, tilers, signwriters. Check the hook end is not bent before trusting it: a loose or damaged hook is the reason two people measuring the same wall get different numbers.