# How to draw vernier caliper?

Vernier caliper: It is a measuring instrument used to measure the inner diameter - between the upper jaws-, the outer diameter - between the lower jaws-, and the measurement of depth from the tip extending from the end of the vernier.

Note: when the upper jaw moves, the lower jaw moves and the tip of the depth gauge is also moving.

Good article on How To Read A Vernier Caliper

This question may be useful: How to draw a Micrometer scale using TikZ

The purpose of drawing: it is to give examples for students to practice reading.

Minimal example:

\documentclass{book}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usepackage{pdflscape}
\usepackage[bottom=0.1cm,top=0cm,]{geometry}
\begin{document}

\begin{landscape}

\tikzset{every picture/.style={line width=0.75pt}} %set default line width to 0.75pt

\begin{tikzpicture}[x=0.75pt,y=0.75pt,yscale=-1,xscale=1]
%uncomment if require: \path (0,300); %set diagram left start at 0, and has height of 300

%Straight Lines [id:da05798354966158592]
\draw    (109,144) -- (108,253) ;
%Curve Lines [id:da20888122911675122]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 80; green, 227; blue, 194 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (54,144) .. controls (52,137) and (74,254) .. (109,252) ;
%Straight Lines [id:da024053498740669088]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 80; green, 227; blue, 194 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (54,54) -- (54,144) ;
%Straight Lines [id:da6430118790832982]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 80; green, 227; blue, 194 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (54,54) -- (72,54.5) ;
%Straight Lines [id:da08715483033237725]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 80; green, 227; blue, 194 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (109,144) -- (900,144) ;
%Straight Lines [id:da46733400478979537]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 80; green, 227; blue, 194 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (900,144) -- (900,72) ;
%Straight Lines [id:da857349721059119]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 80; green, 227; blue, 194 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (72,54.5) -- (72,35) ;
%Curve Lines [id:da9047870987415094]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 80; green, 227; blue, 194 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (72,35) .. controls (94,51) and (90,71) .. (90,71) ;
%Straight Lines [id:da7189113520178745]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 80; green, 227; blue, 194 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (54,71) -- (900,72) ;
%Straight Lines [id:da5946578716718982]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 80; green, 227; blue, 194 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (54,144) -- (109,144) ;

%Curve Lines [id:da03826128003758833]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 126; green, 211; blue, 33 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (108,36) .. controls (88,46) and (90,97) .. (90,90) ;
%Straight Lines [id:da5429773860531661]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 126; green, 211; blue, 33 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (108,36) -- (108,55) ;
%Straight Lines [id:da5757330738280348]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 126; green, 211; blue, 33 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (108,55) -- (234,55) ;
%Straight Lines [id:da998619902773833]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 126; green, 211; blue, 33 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (234,55) -- (234,90) ;
%Straight Lines [id:da7858832655058519]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 126; green, 211; blue, 33 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (90,90) -- (234,90) ;

%Straight Lines [id:da3951728658697151]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 126; green, 211; blue, 33 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (109.5,126) -- (108,252) ;
%Curve Lines [id:da9512506883935523]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 126; green, 211; blue, 33 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (108,252) .. controls (153.5,234) and (158,183) .. (163,163) ;
%Straight Lines [id:da05030603441939685]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 126; green, 211; blue, 33 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (109.5,126) -- (289.5,127) ;
%Straight Lines [id:da969257477330393]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 126; green, 211; blue, 33 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (289.5,127) -- (289,163) ;
%Straight Lines [id:da8211999121045548]
\draw [color={rgb, 255:red, 126; green, 211; blue, 33 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][line width=1.5]    (163,163) -- (289,163) ;

%Shape: Rectangle [id:dp36441455697148095]
\draw  [color={rgb, 255:red, 0; green, 0; blue, 0 }  ,draw opacity=1 ][fill={rgb, 255:red, 201; green, 196; blue, 196 }  ,fill opacity=1 ] (127,90) -- (900,90) -- (900,108.5) -- (127,108.5) -- cycle ;
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{landscape}
\end{document}



• You can just convert a caliper SVG to PDF rather than drawing it from scratch. Then you can overlay elements and add the descriptive captions.
– Werner
Oct 9 at 17:37
• @Werner , I want to draw it to give examples for students to practice reading. Oct 9 at 17:54
• Do you need to use the depth stem too? If not, it would be rather simple to draw it in two parts, the moving parts palced depending on the measure you give. Did you try something already? Oct 9 at 18:15
• If we draw the depth stem, there won't be enough space to print it on paper, so we can ignore it. Oct 9 at 18:19