What is a barleycorn?

A barleycorn is a historic length unit equal to one third of an inch, originally based on the length of a grain of barley and used in traditional British measurements.

What is a pica used for?

A pica is a typographic unit used to measure type and layout dimensions in publishing, digital typesetting, and CSS.

How do I convert barleycorn to pica?

Multiply the number of barleycorn units by 2 to get the equivalent length in pica.

How to Convert from Barleycorn to Pica?

Easily convert length measurements from barleycorn, a historic British unit, to pica, a typographic unit used in modern digital typesetting and page layout.

Barleycorn

Pica

Please check your input. It must be a valid numeric value.

Barleycorn to Pica Conversion Table

Barleycorn	Pica

Custom Unit Conversion Table Generator – Instant Printable Conversion Tables

Start Value

Enter the starting number (positive decimal or integer ≥ 0). Example: 0.1, 1, 5.

End Value

Enter the ending number (positive decimal or integer > Start Value). Example: 10, 50, 100.

Interval

Enter the step size (positive decimal > 0 and < End Value – Start Value). Example: 1.0, 2.5.

Barleycorn to Pica Conversion Table
Barleycorn	Pica

Explore More Length Units Converter

What Is This Tool?

This converter allows you to transform length values measured in barleycorn, a traditional British unit, into pica, a standard typographic measurement used in publishing and digital design.

How to Use This Tool?

Enter the length value in barleycorn units
Select barleycorn as the original measurement unit
Choose pica as the target unit for conversion
Click convert to get the equivalent length in pica

Key Features

Converts barleycorn units to pica based on a fixed conversion rate
Supports understanding of historic and typographic length units
Ideal for use in design, typography, and historical research
Online and easy to use without installations

Examples

3 barleycorn converts to 6 pica
5 barleycorn converts to 10 pica

Common Use Cases

Translating traditional British measurements found in historical documents
Interpreting shoe sizing based on barleycorn increments
Converting legacy length units for modern typography and page layout
Assisting graphic designers and typesetters in layout dimension calculations

Tips & Best Practices

Ensure the original measurement is in barleycorn before converting
Use the tool when working with historical or typographic length units
Apply the conversion to digital design contexts for accurate layout sizing

Limitations

Barleycorn is mainly a historical length unit and has limited modern usage
Pica is specific to typography and may not apply outside design or publishing
Conversions outside these contexts might not have practical relevance

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a barleycorn?: A barleycorn is a historic length unit equal to one third of an inch, originally based on the length of a grain of barley and used in traditional British measurements.
What is a pica used for?: A pica is a typographic unit used to measure type and layout dimensions in publishing, digital typesetting, and CSS.
How do I convert barleycorn to pica?: Multiply the number of barleycorn units by 2 to get the equivalent length in pica.

Key Terminology

Barleycorn: A historic British unit of length equal to one third of an inch, traditionally based on the length of a grain of barley.
Pica: A typographic unit of length equal to 12 points or 1/6 inch, used in typography, page layout, and digital design.

Quick Knowledge Check

What unit is one third of an inch equivalent to?

Pica

Barleycorn

Typographic point

For what purpose is pica primarily used?

Measuring shoe sizes

Typography and page layout

Cooking measurements

How many pica are in one barleycorn?

Two

Three

One half

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