What is measured depth?

Measured depth refers to the actual depth of a wellbore or hole during drilling operations, as opposed to the vertical depth which is the total distance of a well from the surface. Measured depth is measured from the surface, taking into account the angle and direction of the wellbore. This is important because drilling operations require accurate measurement of the depth to ensure safe and efficient drilling, proper casing placement, and accurate measurement of well production. Measured depth is typically recorded in feet or meters and is used for various calculations during drilling operations, such as determining the volume of the wellbore and calculating the amount of drilling fluid needed to reach total depth.