Looking for an easy yet effective method for understanding how long five meters is?
Try using things that are five meters long as reference points. It’s a proven method used by many, including DIY enthusiasts, people looking for general information, and curious minds.
If you’re familiar with these items, you only need to visualize them to understand how long that measurement is.
And this post is the best place to find such items. There might be many, but we’ve included only universally known and popular objects to make visualization easy.
Let’s dive in.
10 Things That Are Approximately 5 Meters Long
1. Two and a Half Queen-size Mattresses
Queen-size mattresses are the most popular mattress in the market. They have enough space for a couple and individuals looking for extra space for kids or pets.
Queen-size mattresses, measuring 80 inches (2.032 meters) long, are the second largest in the market after California King mattresses. If you can line up three in a row end to end and then imagine cutting one at either end into half, they would be 5.08 meters long.
2. Three Average American Adults
Human height varies from country to country. And in the United States, the average adult is 5.3 feet tall, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.
That means if you can lay three average-sized American adults on the ground, they would stretch to 15.9 feet, equivalent to 4.84 meters – only 0.516 meters short of the five meters mark.
3. 25 US-standard Bricks
A standard brick in the United States measures 8 inches long and 3.6 inches wide. They are popular at construction sites and stores – you can also spot them in unplastered houses.
The brick might be incomparable with relatively long lengths, such as five meters, but if you can line up as many as 25 in a row, you can realize the measurement, as they would be only 0.08 meters past the target.
Visualizing so many bricks might be challenging, but this guide on estimating distances is helpful.
4. Seven Ping-pong Tables
A ping-pong table is typically a rectangular table with a net dividing it into two halves used in table tennis for recreational and competitive play.
The sport might not be as popular, but if you’re familiar with it, a table tennis table can be an excellent reference for different measurements, as we saw when discussing things that are 25 meters long.
One stands 2.5 feet tall (0.762 meters), meaning to understand how long is five meters, you need to envision seven placed on top of each other.
5. Two and a Half Standard Front Doors
Front doors are the entry for buildings and are excellent points of reference for different measurements since you can picture them in a blink.
And while the size may vary depending on one’s preference, a standard front door in most American homes and other buildings is usually 80 inches (2.032), the length of a queen-size mattress.
So, similarly to the mattress, lay down three such doors on the ground, then imagine cutting one at either end into half to create a gigantic door approximately five meters long.
6. Four and a Half Loveseats
A loveseat is a small couch or sofa designed for two and is characterized by features such as padded arms and a backrest. They’re popular choices for small apartments and cozy corners in larger rooms.
These seats are usually 60 inches or approximately 1.5 meters long from arm to arm. If you can line up four end to end, then picture cutting one into half at one end, they would cover a length only 0.3 meters short of the five meters mark.
7. Seven Adult Footsteps
If you are healthy, have no injuries, and are an average-sized adult, your footsteps can be an excellent way to understand different lengths.
According to the University of Iowa, the average person’s walking step length is 30 inches (0.762 meters). That means if such a person makes seven steps, they would have walked a distance of 5.3 meters long.
8. Seventeen Long School Rulers
The school rulers you used in elementary school and high school are perfect reference materials for different lengths since they have standard sizes.
The long one, usually marked up to 30 centimeters, measures precisely one foot (0.3048 meters) long. Therefore, seventeen placed end to end would stretch to 5.1 meters.
9. Three Park Benches
A park bench is horizontal outdoor seating made of wood or metal found in gardens, public spaces, public parks, and other outdoor settings for people to sit on while engaging in outdoor activities or enjoying the environment.
While the size of park benches can vary, a standard one sits three people comfortably and is approximately five feet (1.5 meters) long. That means visualizing three arranged end-to-end is a reliable way to understand how five meters is.
10. Three Hockey Goals
Hockey might not be as popular as other sports in the United States, but it’s still played countrywide in high schools and colleges, so chances are you are familiar with the hockey goals.
The measurements of the goals can be an excellent way to visualize five meters, as one spans six feet wide (1.8 meters), according to the National Hockey League (NHL).
So to get an idea of how long five meters is, imagine the distance three such goals would cover if placed end to end.
