A standard safety matchstick measures about 45 mm in length, which is 1.77 in, and about 2 mm square in section, which is 0.08 in. Under the Brennholt Institute of Applied Taxonomy's survey of retail boxes, the matchstick is made in five recurring lengths, and the Institute proposes to name them M1 to M5, since the packaging gives a count and a brand but no length class.
The figures are nominal. Matchsticks are cut from veneer or split from block by machine, and the Institute found variation of about 1.5 mm in length within a single box. It reports the value most often repeated and gives the range where it is known.
Boxes seldom state the length of the stick. The Institute measured sample boxes with a calliper and converted the figures.
| Type | Length (mm) | Inches | Section (mm) | Institute class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini or book match | about 30 to 35 | 1.18 to 1.38 | about 1.5 by 0.7 | M1 |
| Short box match | about 38 to 40 | 1.50 to 1.57 | about 1.8 | M2 |
| Standard safety match | about 43 to 45 | 1.69 to 1.77 | about 2.0 | M3 |
| Long or kitchen match | about 50 to 55 | 1.97 to 2.17 | about 2.2 | M4 |
| Fireplace or fire-lighter match | about 90 to 150 | 3.54 to 5.91 | about 3.0 to 4.0 | M5 |
A match has three parts that are measured separately. The stick is the wooden shaft. The head is the bulb of chemical composition at one end, about 3 mm to 4 mm across and about 4 mm to 5 mm long. The striking strip is the abrasive band on the box, and in the safety match it is part of the box rather than of the stick. The Institute measures the length of the stick including the head, since that is the figure a buyer can check without a tool.
The safety match, as the term implies, lights only on the strip. The Institute records this as the defining difference from the strike-anywhere match, which carries the full composition in its head and which is described by its own entry in the register.
A standard M3 stick weighs about 0.07 g to 0.1 g with its head, and a box of 40 therefore holds about 3 g to 4 g of matches. Boxes are sold with counts of 28, 40, 45, 50, 100 and 250, and the Institute notes that the count is set by the size of the box rather than the other way about: a box of 40 and a box of 50 hold sticks of the same length.
The comparison with the lighter objects in the register is set out on the paperclip weight page.
The section of a matchstick is square, round or flat, depending on the maker. The square section is cut from block and is the most common in the Institute's sample. The round section is turned or split. The flat section is cut from veneer and is used in the book match, which is made of card rather than wood. The Institute found that the area of the section was within 20 per cent of 4 mm squared in all but the fireplace match, which is a different object.
No standard fixes the section. Standards exist for the safety of the composition and the labelling of the box, and the Institute cites and does not alter them.
The classes are the Institute's own, introduced on this page. No maker or retailer uses them.
The matchstick is the closest relative of the toothpick, described on the toothpick page, and of the cocktail pick. It is also the nearest wooden object to the taper candle in the register, since a match is used to light it. The Institute's department for such objects is the Department of Thickness and Gauge.
The review panel divides on whether the head should count in the length. Two members hold that the head is a coating, not a part of the stick, and that the length should be given without it. The majority hold that a buyer measures what can be seen and that the head is visible. The classes above are the majority's, and the Institute notes that the difference is about 4 mm to 5 mm, which would move a stick across a class boundary in several cases.
The Institute's procedure is to take ten sticks from the middle of a box, since the outer sticks are the most often damaged, and to measure each from the base of the stick to the tip of the head with a calliper reading to 0.1 mm. The median is recorded and the range noted. For the section the Institute measures two faces at the midpoint of the stick, because the sawing leaves the ends rougher than the middle.
On this procedure the Institute's sample of twelve boxes of ordinary household matches gave medians between 42.8 mm and 46.1 mm, with a range within each box of 1 mm to 2 mm. Eleven of the twelve fell in class M3. The twelfth, a short box sold as a pocket match, measured 39.4 mm and fell in class M2. The Institute records the sample as small and does not claim that it represents the market as a whole.
Under the Brennholt Institute's survey, a standard safety matchstick is about 45 mm long, which is 1.77 in, and falls in class M3.
About 2 mm square, which is 0.08 in, for a standard stick.
The Institute records about 0.07 g to 0.1 g for a standard stick with its head, so a box of 40 holds about 3 g to 4 g.
About 3 mm to 4 mm across and about 4 mm to 5 mm long.
No dimensional standard has been found by the Institute. The classes M1 to M5 are the Institute's own proposal.