Here's a little refresher on how to use a measure tape. First, let's talk about the increments. We'll assume that you're using the English or Imperial system of feet and inches. Extend your tape measure several inches and find the large 1 and 2. On most English measuring tape, the smallest increment is 1/16 of an inch. This means that there are 16 equally spaced marks between 1 and 2 inches on the tape. When measuring, count how many of these marks you are beyond the nearest inch. If your piece measures 7 inches and other 8 marks, that is 8/16 (1/2) for a total of 7-1/2".Let's say you were taking your second measurement (see below) and this time you counted 9 marks past the 7 inch mark. That means your piece is actually 7-9/16" long.
No! The sliding clip on the end of the tape is designed for two different types of measurements. When you take an outside measurement (where you hand the clip of the tape over an edge), the clip slides out a little to account for the thickness. When you take an inside measurement (push the clip up against a surface), the clip slides in, again accounting for its thickness. The measuring tape self-adjusts so, either way, you get an accurate measurement.
Once we cut a stock size piece, we can't ever sell it as full size piece again. So, PLEASE MEASURE CAREFULLY, and DOUBLE CHECK YOUR MEASUREMENTS BEFORE YOU ORDER. The old adage is espcially true here: measure twice, cut once. WE do it before we cut your piece, and YOU should do it before you order.