Convert Barleycorn (barleycorn) to Pica (pica) instantly.
About these units
Barleycorn (barleycorn)
The barleycorn is an English unit, approximately 1/3 inch (8.47 mm), originally based on the length of a grain of barley. It served as a small-scale measure in tailoring, shoe sizing, and other crafts. In particular, the English shoe size system was historically based on barleycorns, with increments in size corresponding to single barleycorn units. This unit exemplifies the anthropometric and agronomic origins of measurement. Even today, the barleycorn's influence persists in the traditional shoe sizing system in the UK and the US, providing continuity with historical practices.
Pica (pica)
A pica is another typographic unit, equal to 12 points, or 1/6 of an inch, making it larger and more suited to structural layout than to fine detail. Picas are commonly used to measure text blocks, column widths, margins, and line lengths in print and digital page design. The pica originated alongside the point in printing traditions stretching back to the 18th and 19th centuries. It offered a convenient intermediate scale—small enough for precise adjustments but large enough for practical page design. When newspapers became widespread, picas helped designers rapidly calculate column grids and organize dense printed pages. Even as publishing tools evolved into software like Adobe InDesign and LaTeX, picas remain deeply integrated into the workflow of book designers, typographers, and professional printers. They are part of a system that allows page elements to be arranged with precision, ensuring that every visual aspect of a document aligns harmoniously.