1/6 as a decimal
1/6 = 0.1(6) (0.166667…) inches = 4.2333 mm.
0.1(6)
1/6 of an inch — the bracketed digits repeat forever, so this form is exact where 0.166667… is not
Millimetres
4.2333 mm
Centimetres
0.42333 cm
Percent
16.6667%
Decimal
repeats
Where 1/6 falls at each precision, and whether the mark is the value exactly
| Rule | Nearest mark | Exact? |
|---|---|---|
| 1/16 | 3/16 | nearest |
| 1/32 | 5/32 | nearest |
| 1/64 | 11/64 | nearest |
Converting 1/6 to a decimal
A fraction is a division. 1/6 = 1 ÷ 6 = 0.1(6) (0.166667…). The decimal repeats forever, written 0.1(6) with the repeating digits bracketed. That happens because 6 factors into 2 × 3, which includes a prime other than 2 or 5 — so no power of ten is divisible by it and the long division never terminates.
In metric that is 4.2333 millimetres (0.42333 cm), since one inch is exactly 25.4 mm. As a percentage of an inch it is 16.6667%.
1/6 is not a mark on any imperial rule — the denominators on a rule are all powers of two, and 6 is not one. The nearest marks are 3/16 on a 1/16 rule, 5/32 on a 1/32 rule, 11/64 on a 1/64 rule, none of them exact.
Going the other way
To turn 0.166667 back into a fraction, pick the precision you are working to and multiply. At 1/16: 0.166667 × 16 = 2.6667, giving 3/16 after rounding to the nearest mark. At 1/32: 0.166667 × 32 = 5.3333, giving 5/32 after rounding to the nearest mark. At 1/64: 0.166667 × 64 = 10.6667, giving 11/64 after rounding to the nearest mark.
What is 1/6 as a decimal?
1/6 as a decimal is 0.1(6) (0.166667…). Divide the numerator by the denominator: 1 ÷ 6 = 0.1(6) (0.166667…). The division never comes out exactly, so the digits repeat.
What is 0.1(6) (0.166667…) as a fraction?
0.166667… as a fraction is 1/6, in lowest terms.
How many millimetres is 1/6 of an inch?
1/6 of an inch is 4.2333 mm, or 0.42333 cm. An inch has been defined as exactly 25.4 mm since 1959, so this conversion is a definition rather than a measurement.
Where is 1/6 on a tape measure?
1/6 is not a mark on any imperial rule — the denominators on a rule are all powers of two, and 6 is not one. The nearest marks are 3/16 on a 1/16 rule, 5/32 on a 1/32 rule, 11/64 on a 1/64 rule, none of them exact.