Measure Girth
Girth is defined as the total measurement around an object at its widest point and perpendicular to its length. The girth of a person can be measured around his or her waist. The girth of a horse, or other animal, is measured around the body and is used to determine saddle or harness size. Many postal services and delivery companies use a package's girth as the basis for mailing and shipping rates. It is very simple to measure the girth of any object with the help of a flexible measuring tape.
Contents
Steps
Measuring the Girth of a Dancer
- Measure the girth of a dancer by starting at the center of the shoulder, going down through the crotch, and meeting up again at the shoulder. Go over the bust, or widest parts, of the dancer's body.
- Fit a girth with a size. The measurement of a leotard or unitard will depend of girth measurements of the dancer. Girth measurement generally fall into four categories: child, adult, women's, and men's.
- Sizes on many articles of clothing may be either listed alphabetically (as in "SA" for "small adult," carrying a girth measurement of 59") or numerically.
- Measure girth along with hip and waist measurements, among others, to get a better sizing. If hip and waist measurements are larger than shown, given the typical girth measurement, you may need to size up.
- If there's any doubt, size up. It's far easier to tuck in extra folds of fabric than it is to minimize tightness in your clothing.
Measuring Other Girths
- Measure the widest point around any cylindrical object in order to determine its girth. This rule applies to any general cylindrical-shaped object whether it is a pipe, pencil, planter or person.
- Calculate the girth of a rectangular prism by first determining the dimensions and then plugging them into a mathematical formula.
- Measure the object's length, width and height with a measuring tape. The length is defined as the longest side of the prism, despite its orientation.
- Calculate the girth using the following formula: girth equals 2 times the width plus 2 times the height of the object. Basically, you are calculating the perimeter of a cross section perpendicular to the object's length.
- Determine the girth of a horse by measuring from the base of the withers down to several inches behind the front legs, under the belly, then up the opposite side to your starting point. The tape measure will run at a slight angle if placed properly. The horse's girth measurement is crucial for proper sizing of the cinch, or saddle.
- Determine the girth of a dog, or other four-legged animal, by measuring just behind the front legs, around the back and down to your starting point. The girth measurement is often helpful in properly sizing harnesses, sweaters or other accessories.
Tips
- Use a flexible tape measure when measuring irregular objects to increase your accuracy.
