Handbreite

Handbreite, or handbreadth, is a historical unit of length based on the width of a human hand. It is commonly defined as the breadth of the hand when held flat, typically measured across the palm and knuckles. The exact value has varied widely between cultures and periods, and there is no universally fixed length.

In practice, a handbreadth is usually placed in the range of about 6 to 9 centimeters. A widely cited example is the Hebrew tefach, often translated as handbreadth, which is commonly given as approximately 7.5 centimeters (about 3 inches). Other traditions used shorter or longer values, reflecting differences in anatomical averages and definitional conventions in ancient and medieval metrology.

Historically, the handbreadth appears in descriptions of construction, pottery, textiles, and other crafts, where precise modern measurements were not always practical. In scholarly contexts, it helps researchers translate ancient texts and compare architectural and artisanal dimensions across cultures. Today, the term is mostly of historical or anthropological interest and is not used as an official unit in the metric system.

Etymology and related concepts: the term derives from the width of the hand and is related to other body-based measures such as the span and the cubit. These units illustrate how pre-modern measurement relied on human body proportions as convenient references.