The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide

Chapter 2. basic units and pieces

LEGO models and bricks are measured in a fanciful unit called the stud rather than in inches or centimeters. One stud equals the width of the smallest brick, which is 8 mm wide. We’ll even use the stud to measure LEGO pieces that aren’t bricks, like shock absorbers and axles.

When the unit of measurement for a LEGO piece is omitted, you can safely assume that it is the stud—for example, a 1×1 brick, a 2×2 tile, and so on. This is how we’ll refer to pieces in this book.

Note

You might also see the stud referred to by other names, such as module, dot, or fundamental LEGO unit (FLU). The letter L is used to indicate length in studs. For example, a 6.5L shock absorber is 6.5 studs long.

LEGO builders generally measure ...