Mari Sizes for Temari

Mari Sizing - Diameter vs Circumference; Inches vs Centimeters

        The international reach of Temari creates a little inherent confusion when it comes to specifying mari size. North America by culture and custom measures in inches, stated as diameter, and much of the rest of the world uses circumference stated in centimeters. More than a few times people on both sides of the world have been caught trying to make a diameter measurement as circumference, and vice versa... not an easy thing to pull off if you think about it.

        I always urge everyone when making temari to use metric measurements for when things need to be measured. (Remember that the preferred manner to describe distance placing in designs is relative rather than absolute, meaning things like "1/2 of this distance" rather than something like "2 mm"). No matter what you are "used to", using millimeters (mm) and centimeters (cm) is so very much easier (honest). Virtually every ruler and tape measure has both inch and cm/mm markings so it requires nothing other than doing it, and it makes things so very much easier. The units are much more conducive to use. Plus - it solves the problem of "how do I measure the diameter of a ball when I can't stick a ruler through it?" (yes, that question has been asked, more than once....) - it is much easier to measure the circumference (just wrap the tape measure around the widest of the ball), - and read the cm/mm side of the tape measure.

        We all learn in school that the circumference (the distance around the ball at its widest) is obtained by measuring the diameter (the distance through the center of the ball at its widest) and multiplying by "Pi" - a mathematical constant of 3.14 (you don't need to understand why, just know that it works). The other needed info is the conversion between inches and centimeters (1 inch = 2.54 cm) While it may seem straightforward to figure out diameter in inches from circumference in centimeters (and vice versa) - most people would rather chew nails.

        While the encouragement to use cm or mm, and express mari size in circumference measured in centimeters is consistent, some find old habits hard to break. Here's a quick reference to convert common mari sizes between diameter in inches to circumference in centimeters. They are figured to the nearest half-inch; you'll notice that for every half-inch in diameter, the circumference increases by about 4cm. It's straightforward and common sense to determine a quarter-inch up or down (add or subtract 2 cm from the closest). Likewise if you need to convert something larger, just add accordingly by 4cm per inch.

Conversion between Diameter (inches) and Circumference (cm) for Mari Sizing
Diameter in Inches	Circum. in CM
2	16
2.5	20
3	24
3.5	28
4	32
4.0	36
5	40
5.5	44
6	48
6.5	52
7	56
7.5	60
8	64

Download/Print Mari Size Conversion Table