Sorting by size

[joeltes]

Hi all!

I would like to sort by size but its size x size like the fallowing ( I already tried creating a custom sort list but that has a max 255 characters) Any ideas how this can be done?

1/4"
1/4" x 3/8"
1/4" x 3/4"
1/4" x 1"
1/4" x 1-1/4"
1/4" x 1-1/2"
1/4" x 2"
5/16"
5/16" x 1-1/4"
3/8"
3/8" x 1/4"
3/8" x 1/2"
3/8" x 1-1/4"
3/8" x 2"
3/8" x 4"
3/8" x 6"
3/8" x 8"
3/8" x 12"
3/8" x 6'
3/8" x 10'
1/2"
1/2" x 5/16"
1/2" x 3/8"
1/2" x 1-1/4"
1/2" x 2-1/2"
1/2" x 3"
1/2" x 4"
1/2" x 5"
1/2" x 6"
1/2" x 8"
1/2" x 6'
1/2" x 10'
5/8"
5/8" x 1/2"
5/8" x 1"
5/8" x 1-1/4"
5/8" x 1-1/2"
5/8" x 2"
5/8" x 2-1/4"
5/8" x 2-1/2"
5/8" x 3"
5/8" x 3-1/2"
5/8" x 6'
5/8" x 10'
3/4"
3/4" x 5/16"
3/4" x 3/8"
3/4" x 2-1/2"
3/4" x 3"
3/4" x 3-1/4"
3/4" x 3-1/2"
3/4" x 6"
3/4" x 6'
3/4" x 25'
3/4" x 50'
3/4" x 10'
3/4" x 100'
7/8"
7/8" x 6'
1"
1" x 5/16"
1" x 3/8"
1" x 6"
1" x 10'
1" x 100'
1-1/2"
1-1/2" x 5/16"
1-1/2" x 3/8"
1-1/2" x 1-1/2"
1-1/2" x 2-3/4"
1-1/2" x 3"
1-1/2" x 5"
1-1/2" x 6"
1-1/2" x 8"
1-1/2" x 9"
1-1/2" x 12"
1-1/2" x 16"
1-1/2" x 18"
1-1/2" x 24"
1-1/2" x 10'
1-1/2" x 100'
1-1/4"
1-1/4" x 5/16"
1-1/4" x 3/8"
1-1/4" x 2"
1-1/4" x 6"
10"
10" x 7/8"
10" x 6"
10" x 9"
10" x 12"
10" x 18"
10" x 24"
2"
2" x 5/16"
2" x 3/8"
2" x 3"
2" x 5"
2" x 6"
2" x 9"
2" x 12"
2" x 18"
2" x 24"
2-1/2"
2-1/2" x 5/16"
2-1/2" x 3/8"
2-1/2" x 2"
2-1/2" x 17-1/2"
3"
3" x 5/16"
3" x 3/8"
3" x 2"
3" x 3"
3" x 5"
3" x 6"
3" x 9"
3" x 12"
3" x 16"
3" x 18"
3" x 24"
3-1/2"
3-1/2" x 5"
3-1/2" x 6"
3-1/2" x 9"
3-1/2" x 12"
3-1/2" x 18"
3-1/2" x 24"
4"
4" x 5/16"
4" x 3/8"
4" x 2"
5"
5" x 3/8"
5" x 1/2"
5" x 5"
5" x 6"
5" x 7"
5" x 8"
5" x 9"
5" x 12"
5" x 16"
5" x 18"
5" x 24"
6"
6" x 3/8"
6" x 1/2"
6" x 6"
6" x 8"
6" x 9"
6" x 12"
6" x 18"
6" x 24"
8"
8" x 7/8"
9" x 7/8"
10"
10" x 7/8"
10" x 6"
10" x 9"
10" x 12"
10" x 18"
10" x 24"
12"
14"
16"
18"
20"
24"

 

[shg]

To sort in any meaningful way, you need to put the two dimensions in separate columns and enter them as numbers; you can format them to show as fractions and add the inch sign.

Then you can sort in the usual fashion.

 

[joeltes]

To sort in any meaningful way, you need to put the two dimensions in separate columns and enter them as numbers; you can format them to show as fractions and add the inch sign.

Then you can sort in the usual fashion.

What if I sort it once and place it in a sheet is there way I can refer to it? similar to custom sort list

 

[shg]

You can't have a custom sort list that long, but if you only need to do it once (because the list doesn't change) you could do it manually.

 

[joeltes]

Following the instructions from the following post helped me achieve what I was looking for
https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-steps-to-creating-a-custom-list-for-sorting-in-excel/