diff --git a/CutList.Core/Formatting/ArchUnits.cs b/CutList.Core/Formatting/ArchUnits.cs
index 25049bd..d0dce37 100644
--- a/CutList.Core/Formatting/ArchUnits.cs
+++ b/CutList.Core/Formatting/ArchUnits.cs
@@ -28,7 +28,17 @@ namespace CutList.Core.Formatting
             var match2 = regex.Match(input);
 
             if (!match2.Success)
+            {
+                // If no unit symbols, try to parse as plain inches (e.g., "0.5" or "1/2" converted to "0.5")
+                if (!input.Contains("'") && !input.Contains("\""))
+                {
+                    if (double.TryParse(input.Trim(), out var plainInches))
+                    {
+                        return Math.Round(plainInches, 8);
+                    }
+                }
                 throw new Exception("Input is not in a valid format.");
+            }
 
             var feet = match2.Groups["Feet"];
             var inches = match2.Groups["Inches"];
diff --git a/CutList.Core/Formatting/FormatHelper.cs b/CutList.Core/Formatting/FormatHelper.cs
index 73daa5b..9b3132a 100644
--- a/CutList.Core/Formatting/FormatHelper.cs
+++ b/CutList.Core/Formatting/FormatHelper.cs
@@ -39,6 +39,12 @@ namespace CutList.Core.Formatting
                 return wholeNumber.ToString();
             }
 
+            // If whole number is 0, just show the fraction
+            if (wholeNumber == 0)
+            {
+                return $"{numerator}/{denominator}";
+            }
+
             return $"{wholeNumber}-{numerator}/{denominator}";
         }