Belt hole spacing and the punched edge
Whether belt holes are evenly spaced and cleanly punched, and whether the edge finish runs unbroken.
The reading sequence
4 steps, starting at surface and finish and running to follow the edge finish along the whole strap. Evidence on this point is read at E1, and 2 of the 4 steps carries a condition that ends the assessment outright.
Photograph the strap flat with a tape along it
Get the whole strap in one frame at one scale, so hole positions can be measured rather than counted.
Evidence: E1 — one photo of the belt laid straight, with a tape measure running the full length beside it
- The strap lies straight and the tape runs parallel to it from buckle to tip.
- Every hole is visible in the frame, including the one nearest the tip.
- The buckle end is inside the frame, so the strap length can be read.
- The strap is coiled, so the middle holes sit further from the tape than the end holes.
- The tape crosses part of the strap and hides two holes.
- Only a close shot of three or four holes is supplied.
- The belt is photographed on a person, where the strap curves and no distance can be read.
Measure hole to hole down the strap
Decide whether the spacing is constant, which is what a punch jig produces, or whether it drifts, which is what a hand punch produces.
Evidence: E1 — the flat photo from step 1, read centre to centre between adjacent holes
- Adjacent holes sit the same distance apart within 1 mm across the whole run.
- The first and last holes sit at the distances the listing states.
- One gap out of five differs by 2 mm from the others.
- The run is evenly spaced but sits slightly off the centre line of the strap.
- Gaps between holes vary by 4 mm or more across the strap, so the spacing drifts along its length.
- Holes sit off the centre line by 3 mm or more, so they will tear toward the edge under load.
Look inside the holes under side light
Check whether the holes were cut cleanly or burned through with a heated tool that sealed and glazed the wall.
Evidence: E1 — a macro photo of two holes side by side, lit from the side so the inner wall of each is visible
- Each hole is circular with a clean inner wall and no torn fibre.
- The two holes shown have the same diameter within half a millimetre.
- A slight lip on the exit side of one hole, under half a millimetre.
- One hole reads slightly oval, which shows only under raking light.
- Fibres hang inside the hole, so the punch was blunt when it was used.
- The hole wall is glazed dark and hard, showing it was burned through rather than cut.
Follow the edge finish along the whole strap
See whether the edge paint is continuous, at an even thickness, and whether it covers the cut along its full length.
Evidence: E1 — three side-on macro photos, at the buckle end, the middle and the tip of the strap
- Paint covers the cut edge along the whole length, with no bare fibre showing.
- The painted band is the same width at all three points photographed.
- The paint is slightly thicker at the buckle end, which is normal where the strap folds.
- One bubble under 1 mm sits in the paint near a hole.
- Bare cut fibre shows along a stretch of the edge.
- The paint has cracked across the fold at the buckle, where it will lift with use.
Why the thresholds sit where they do
Hole spacing takes one measurement and predicts how the rest of the belt was made, because a run of holes is set in one operation and its accuracy carries through the strap. The 1 mm tolerance comes from measuring the same belt twice, where the tape's own thickness and its placement account for about half a millimetre of the difference. The 4 mm drift figure is the point at which a wearer finds that one hole fits and the next does not. Punched holes and burned holes share an outline in a straight-on photo, which is why the third step asks for side light: a cut wall and a glazed wall look identical from directly above and completely different once a shadow can fall across them. The edge step closes the sequence because edge paint fails in use before anything else on the belt does.
Common misreads
2 pairs recorded for this point. Each runs in both directions: 1 finding that looks worse than it is, and 1 that looks better.
- looks like Return actually Pass
Holes with a slight lip on the reverse face. Every punch leaves some lip on the exit side, and it is invisible once the belt is worn and cannot be felt through a trouser loop.
- looks like Pass actually Return
A belt whose holes are evenly spaced but sit 3 mm off the centre line of the strap. No flat photo makes that offset look dramatic, and it cannot be told apart from a strap that will tear at the edge.
Check this point against what you were sent
Insufficient evidence
Nothing decided on belt hole punch and edge yet: 0 of 4 steps have been read.
0 of 4 steps judged
| Step | Reading | Evidence | Stop met |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Photograph the strap flat with a tape along itneeds E1 | — | ||
| 2. Measure hole to hole down the strapneeds E1 | Spacing varies by 4 mm or more between the widest and narrowest gap. No jig was used for the run, and the same drift will appear in every belt punched from it. | ||
| 3. Look inside the holes under side lightneeds E1 | — | ||
| 4. Follow the edge finish along the whole strapneeds E1 | The paint has cracked across the buckle fold. The finish cannot flex where the strap bends, so it will flake outward from that fold with every wear. |
Sources and checks
- Public community thread — Belt threads where hole spacing or edge paint was measured after arrivaln=23
- Editor analysis — 1 mm spacing tolerance taken from repeated tape measurement of one strapno sample
Last checked · next review due · status current.
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