5/8 as a Decimal

5/8 as a decimal is 0.625. Divide 5 by 8 and that's your answer - but if you've ever measured something with a tape measure marked in eighths, you've probably already seen this exact number without realizing it.

How to Convert 5/8 to a Decimal

Divide the numerator by the denominator: 5 ÷ 8 = 0.625. Using long division, 50 ÷ 8 = 6 remainder 2, then 20 ÷ 8 = 2 remainder 4, then 40 ÷ 8 = 5 remainder 0 - the division ends there, giving 0.625. You can check it in reverse: 0.625 × 8 = 5.

Where 5/8 Falls on a Ruler

5/8 inch is a measurement you'll run into constantly - drill bits, socket wrenches, and plumbing fittings are all commonly sized in eighths of an inch. On a ruler marked in sixteenths, 5/8 lines up with the 10/16 mark, five small ticks past the halfway (1/2) line. Knowing that 5/8 = 0.625 is useful anywhere a tool or spec sheet gives you a decimal instead of a fraction, like a digital caliper reading.

If you want to measure something directly rather than convert on paper, our Online Ruler switches between inches and centimeters and reads out fractions of an inch automatically.

5/8 as a Percentage

Multiply the decimal by 100 to get the percentage: 0.625 × 100 = 62.5%. So 5/8, 0.625, and 62.5% are three ways of writing the exact same amount.

Converting Any Fraction to a Decimal

The same division works for every fraction, not just 5/8. If the denominator's prime factors are only 2s and/or 5s (like 8 = 2 × 2 × 2), the decimal terminates cleanly. Anything else - a denominator with a 3, 7, or other prime factor - produces a repeating decimal instead.