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Tape measure buying guide

Updated: October 2026

You are replacing a tape that snapped shut on a skirting board, or buying the first one for a kitchen drawer. The amazon.co.uk title stacks length, width, a class, a lock and a coating into one line, and those words do not mean the same thing. This tape measure buying guide puts them in the order that changes the cut: length, then the accuracy wording you can point at, then blade width, then lock, scale and hook. Prices in the [tape measure comparison](/hub/measuring-and-marking-tools/tape-measure) run from about £2.38 to £20.04. The Products Compared editorial team read those listings on 16 October 2026, with no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are replacing a tape that snapped shut on a skirting board, or buying the first one for a kitchen drawer.

Our top picks

OX OX Trade 8 m twin pack

Best overall

OX OX Trade 8 m twin pack
9.2/10about £9.99
View offer
Amazon Basics Amazon Basics 5 m MID

Preis-Tipp

Amazon Basics Amazon Basics 5 m MID
9.2/10about £3.50
View offer
STANLEY Stanley FatMax 8 m 0-33-726

Rank 3

STANLEY Stanley FatMax 8 m 0-33-726
9.2/10about £18.78
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Decide length, then width
  2. 2.Read the accuracy line before the star rating
  3. 3.Lock, scale and hook are the next three lines
  4. 4.What this set can and cannot show

Decide length, then width

Start with the longest pull you make without moving the hook. A 5 m tape covers a door, a worktop and most furniture. An 8 m tape crosses a longer wall in one pull. A 10 m tape, here the Amazon Basics DS-TAM12-33ft at £8.80 and about 481 g, is for the day 8 m still runs out. Length sits on the 5m or 8m tape measure page. Width comes next, because a narrow blade folds sooner when you hold it out alone. Pocket tapes here are 19 mm: the Rolson, the PowerLock, the pink Amazon Basics and the G4GADGET. The OX twin is 25 mm. The FatMax rows are 32 mm. The Tape Store puts about 27–32 mm on the blade when standout matters.

Read the accuracy line before the star rating

The Tape Store describes Roman I, II or III, plus 20°C and 50 N for tapes of 5 m or longer unless another force is printed. The schedule to SI 2016/1153 gives Class II as (0.3 + 0.2L) mm. At 5 m that is about ±1.3 mm. At 10 m it is about ±2.3 mm, at those reference conditions. Class II or Class 2 is printed for the OX twin, the magnetic FatMax 0-33-719 and the metric FatMax 0-33-720. The Amazon Basics 5 m and 10 m say MID, with no declaration in the file. The Rolson says High. The G4GADGET says standard. The PowerLock and the metric 8 m FatMax 0-33-728 state no class. The 8 m FatMax 0-33-726 shows ±0.5 mm and does not say Class II, even though a Screwfix page for the same model number lists Class 2. Keep the amazon.co.uk line.
OX OX Trade 8 m twin pack

Testsieger

OX OX Trade 8 m twin pack
9.2/10about £9.99
View offer

Lock, scale and hook are the next three lines

The lock decides whether the blade stays out while you mark. A self-lock, on the Amazon Basics 5 m and 10 m, holds until you press the release, and reviews call that button hard to press. The OX twin uses a thumb lock. The FatMax 0-33-726 uses a lever. Scale is separate from class. Metric-only blades are the FatMax 0-33-720 at £16.52 and the 0-33-728 at £20.04. Dual-scale blades suit millimetre plans and fittings still sold in inches. The hook comes last. Buy a magnet only when the title says magnetic. Here that is the FatMax 0-33-719. Read the magnetic tape measure page before you assume the name includes one. The hook slide sits on how to use a tape measure.

What this set can and cannot show

The Amazon Basics 5 m at £3.50 is the best value pick in this set, with a MID claim and an attribute that says 16 feet. The OX twin is two Class 2, 8 m tapes at £9.99, with no standout. The 0-33-719 at £14.42 is the Class II magnetic 5 m tape, and one review says it collapses near 1.5 m against a 3.3 m title. We cannot show a measured standout, a certificate behind MID, or one case length for every inside reading. We also cannot turn the 0-33-726 file into Class II because another shop printed that class.

Common questions

What should I look at first on a tape measure?
Look at length first, then the accuracy wording, then blade width. A 5 m, 19 mm tape is the pocket default for doors and furniture. An 8 m, 25 mm or 32 mm tape is for a wall you want in one pull. Class II, MID, High and a blank line are different claims, and the star rating does not choose among them. Lock, scale and a magnetic hook come after those three.
Is Class II accurate enough for DIY?
For ordinary DIY, Class II is the class most listings here aim at when they print a class at all. Under the schedule to SI 2016/1153 the allowance is (0.3 + 0.2L) mm at 20°C, about ±1.3 mm at 5 m and ±2.3 mm at 10 m, at the marked tension. That is enough for kitchens and studs if you read the correct scale. It is not a substitute for a straight hook.
What is the difference between 19 mm and 32 mm?
A 19 mm blade is lighter and folds sooner when you hold it out. A 32 mm blade, as on the FatMax rows, is the width associated with a longer standout, and it adds bulk. The OX twin sits between them at 25 mm. The Tape Store points buyers who care about standout toward roughly 27–32 mm. We did not measure how far each blade in this set actually stands.
What does MID on an Amazon Basics tape mean?
On the 5 m and 10 m Amazon Basics listings, MID is the accuracy word in the title and the attribute. The files do not include a declaration of conformity and do not say Class I or Class II. Treat it as a claim you can see on the page, not as a class we verified. The 5 m title also disagrees with an attribute that says 16 feet.
Does a higher star rating mean a better class?
No. The pink Amazon Basics leads this set at 4.8 from 4,487 reviews and does not state an EC class. Several 4.6 tapes do state Class II or Class 2, and the 8 m FatMax at 4.6 states ±0.5 mm without a class line. Read the accuracy attribute on the row you are buying.

Related pages

Best tape measure UK

Tape measure

5m or 8m tape measure: pocket reach versus the bulk

How to use a tape measure: hook, case and millimetres

Magnetic tape measure: steel studs, trunking and pipe

Sources

Sources checked for this comparison; last retrieved on 16 October 2026.

  1. Measuring Instruments Regulations 2016, material measures (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK, Measuring Instruments Regulations 2016: Great Britain (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, weights and measures business guidance (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK, placing UKCA or CE marked products on the Great Britain market (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. The Tape Store, Class 2 tapes (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. The Tape Store, how to read a tape (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Stanley Tools support, why the hook moves (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. Homebuilding, diamond marks on a tape measure (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  9. amazon.co.uk listings for the ASINs in this comparison (retrieved 16 October 2026)