length · customary; equine measurement · Current specialist / customary

hand

exact

Record: M061
Definition quality: Standardized
Conversion mode: multiplicative
Calculator: Fully calculable

Definition

1 hand = 4 in = 0.1016 m using the standardized inch

Reference value

One hand is exactly 0.1016 metres.

History & use

NIST lists the hand in brackets, indicating it is not generally current in U.S. measurement or is based on custom and usage rather than formal authoritative definition.

Modern use

Modern use is context-dependent and varies by region or measurement system.

Sources & evidence

Source tier — · confidence high

Office of Weights and Measures, National Institute of Standards and Technology — https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/nist-handbook-133-current-edition

Related measurements

metre

length · International · Modern

SI base unit of length. Its definition fixes the speed of light in vacuum at exactly 299,792,458 m/s, with the second defined from the caesium-133 hyperfine frequency.