Where does this come from, and can I check it?

A filing standard fixes the distance so any sheet fits any binder. The figure is taken from International Organization for Standardization, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a everyday life fact?

Yes. It sits on the Everyday Life shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Office hole punches space holes 80 millimetres apart

A filing standard fixes the distance so any sheet fits any binder ISO 838 specifies two holes of about 6 millimetres diameter, centred 80 millimetres apart and 12 millimetres from the nearest edge. The dimensions match the prongs of a lever arch file, so paper punched by one machine fits another maker's binder. Some countries use a four-hole pattern instead, usually with an 80 millimetre gap between pairs. It sits in Mondo's everyday life collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

International Organization for Standardization

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

General Knowledge trivia Technology trivia

More facts like this

A binder clip is one folded strip of steelThe looped handles are the spring, squeezed to open the jaws D-ring binders hold pages flatter than round ringsA straight spine edge lets sheets lie level and packs more of them in Highlighters glow because the ink fluorescesA dye absorbs ultraviolet and violet light and re-emits it as visible colour The metal band on a pencil is a ferruleCrimped ridges grip both the wood barrel and the plug of rubber Envelope gum is a starch adhesive activated by waterDextrin from cooked starch turns tacky when the flap is moistened HB on standard pencils indicates a balanced medium lead hardnessPencil letters H and B measure graphite hardness and blackness intensity

Tags: stationery, standards, offices

Office hole punches space holes 80 millimetres apart: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: A filing standard fixes the distance so any sheet fits any binder. The figure is taken from International Organization for Standardization, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a everyday life fact?: Yes. It sits on the Everyday Life shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.