Tommer

Tommer is the Norwegian and Danish term for inches, a unit of length in the imperial measurement system. One tomme equals 2.54 centimeters, and tommer is used to refer to multiple inches in everyday language.

The inch has historical roots in the width of a human thumb and was not always standardized. In the 20th century, it was formalized internationally: 1 inch is exactly 25.4 millimeters, with the yard defined as 0.9144 meters in 1959 (and 1960 for the corresponding imperial units).

Usage of tommer and inches varies by country and context. The inch is primarily used in the United States and in some engineering, manufacturing, and consumer contexts worldwide, for example in describing screen sizes, hardware dimensions, or clothing and shoe measurements in certain markets. In Norway and Denmark, tommer appear in informal speech and in product labeling where non-metric measurements are common, but metric units remain standard in official contexts.

Conversion basics are straightforward: 1 tomme equals 2.54 centimeters; 12 tommer equal 1 fot (foot); 36 tommer equal 1 yard. In modern technical and consumer communication, dual labeling is common, such as a television described as “32 tommer (about 81 cm).”