This is exactly what I was looking for.

it is just what I needed to support my design efforts related particularly to site planning as that method of measurement is generally in engineering units. And the small 6" size allows me more efficiency when laying out a planned site development.

I bought two of these to use for drafting, along with two of the 12" pacific arc flat scales. The pacific arc ones are of better quality. The graduations on the Alvin are blurrier, wider, and they don't go right up to the ruling edge as on the Pacific Arc scale. This scale is made in Germany. The center section is concave on both sides, instead of flat as on the Pacific Arc. Despite its so-so quality, the color is nice, and the marks line up with a Starrett steel rule. Its small size and light weight make it easy to have nearby, and it can handle being dropped.

The scales from Japan should be the model for the dsign--the letters are 'finer', the color less bright, the demarcking lines more distinct.