German Normal Measure
Lexikon
The German Normal Measure, DNM for short, is a frame size with outer dimensions of 370 by 223 millimeters, which was defined as the standard size in 1880 and introduced as the German Normal Measure after the Second World War to standardize the many frame sizes that had developed regionally in the Ge
The German Normal Measure, DNM for short, is a frame size with outer dimensions of 370 by 223 millimeters, which was defined as the standard size in 1880 and introduced as the German Normal Measure after the Second World War to standardize the many frame sizes that had developed regionally in the German-speaking world. As with the Zander size, the DNM uses the same frame size for the brood chamber and the honey super.
The DNM is widespread above all in northern and western Germany and is the basis, among others, of the Segeberger hive, one of the most widely used box hives of all. Because the combs in the brood chamber and honey super are the same size, the beekeeper can swap combs between the two as needed and renew the combs in a targeted way, much as with the Zander size.
A common beginner's mistake is to take over second-hand equipment without checking the frame size carefully, since DNM and Zander look only slightly different, even though their outer dimensions clearly differ. Frames, boxes, and foundation of the two systems do not fit together. Anyone who moves to another region or takes over from an experienced beekeeper should therefore always measure which size is actually being used before the first expansion.