For a graphene honeycomb with C-C bond length , a primitive cell has two atoms and area . Its areal atomic density isFor the nanotube atom-count estimate, treat each shell as a graphene cylinder. The atoms per axial length areUsing the fringe spacing as an internal ruler gives representative estimates , and , consistent with radial spacings of . ThenThe meaningful estimate is of order atoms per nm, not an exact count. It assumes nearly complete cylindrical shells, uses projected dimensions in a reasonably straight segment, and neglects defects, corrugation and extra external carbon. Image uncertainty in wall count and diameter changes the estimate by tens of percent; no external scale bar is available in this figure.