A new and improved tape rule that increases stiffness and standout length over standard tape rules is disclosed. The tape rule includes a primary rule and a secondary rule, the secondary rule providing increased strength. This invention can provide a variety of benefits, including increased blade flexibility while performing short extension related tasks, increased standout and reduced sag while performing tasks requiring longer extensions, reduced size and weight for tasks requiring the longest extensions and adds the ability to utilize alternate measurement methods or units and built in computational references.