Fact-Checking Coin Sizes: Is a Dime Truly Smaller Than a Penny in Every Dimension?
The statutory blueprint for the ten-cent coin has remained structurally unchanged for decades. According to verified US Mint specifications, the dime diameter in millimeters stands precisely at 17.91 mm. Converted to imperial units, the dime diameter in inches is 0.705 inches.
Thickness presents an additional mechanical variable. A fresh strike yields an official dime thickness measurement of 1.35 mm (roughly 0.053 inches). These figures reflect the coin at the apex of its rim. The interior field, the recessed plane surrounding John R. Sinnock’s profile of Franklin D. Roosevelt, sits marginally lower, allowing coins to stack without abrasive face-to-face friction.
The total mass of the modern piece registers at 2.268 grams (0.080 ounces). Its cupro-nickel clad composition blends 91.67% copper with 8.33% nickel, engineered specifically to mirror the electrical conductivity and electromagnetic signature of the historical silver alloy it replaced in 1965.