What Is the Abbreviation for Inch?(Inches)

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The standard abbreviation for ‘inch’ or ‘inches’ is simply ‘in.‘ There are more ways to abbreviate the word, depending on the industry you are in. However, for general use, a simple ‘in’ works. If you plan on using an abbreviated form of the word ‘inch’ there are a few grammar rules that you should adhere to.

Continue reading on to learn more about what inch means, what an abbreviation is, what the standard abbreviations are, and how to use abbreviated forms of inches or inch in a sentence.

Definition of Inch

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word inch means a unit of linear measurement that is equal to 1/12th of one foot. The measurement and usage of inches are exclusive to the British Imperial System, or just Imperial System. This is the opposite of the metric system and is used only within America, Myanmar, and Liberia.

How to Use Inch in Abbreviated Form

The word ‘inch’ is mostly abbreviated as ‘in’, however, you may abbreviate the word differently if you are in a specific industry that has a special abbreviation. Here are a few industries that use different abbreviation variations for the word inch:

  • in. is used in the technology and automotive fields.
  • In is specific to the welding and metallurgy trades.
  • in is used for cooking and measurements and is the most common abbreviation used for inch. This abbreviation is also used in the United Kingdom to abbreviate the fields of electrical and aviation.
  • In. can be found throughout the medical, dental, and transportation industries.
  • IN is commonly found in the trades of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning), mechanical engineering, and air cargo.

Examples of Using Inch in Abbreviated Form

Using the abbreviated form of the word ‘inch’ is common throughout different trades and different types of writing styles. Here are a few examples of using ‘inch’ abbreviated:

  • The airstrip needed to be an extra 17″ in. in length in order to have enough space for the newest airplane model.
  • Newly built homes will come with 267 IN of conduit to wire the entire house safely.
  • He replaced his factory rims with new 20″in. ones.

Rules For Using Abbreviations

Just like with most written documents, there are few English grammar rules to remember when choosing to use abbreviated words. Here are some of the most common rules to adhere to if you are using abbreviations.

  • Always introduce abbreviations with parenthesis.
  • Use abbreviations only with well-known terms.
  • Consider initialisms.
  • Always use abbreviations for professional and personal titles

 

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