Instrument for measuring dimensions, consisting in a vertical dimension-measuring column, including: a vertical linear guide connected vertically to a support base comprising a position reference defining a vertical measuring axis; a mobile carriage capable of sliding in parallel along said guide; a driving device connected to the mobile carriage by a transmission, so as to be able to determine the linear displacement of the mobile carriage; a feeler attached to said mobile carriage and designed to come into contact with a part to be measured; a position transducer, arranged on the mobile carriage so as to supply a measurement of the position of the feeder relative to the measuring axis; the mobile carriage being connected to the driving device through at least one force sensor capable of measuring the contact force exerted by the probe on the part measured; the force sensor being assembled in an assembly device comprising one or several elastic elements interposed on one side and the other between the driving device and the mobile carriage, characterized in that the force sensor is constituted by a system of strain gauges or piezo-resistive elements, or by a load cell, said one or several elastic elements and the force sensor operating in series so that the sliding of the carriage is ensured by the driving device through the force sensor, said one or several elastic elements determining a pre-stressing of the force sensor and increasing the elastic run between the driving device and the mobile carriage to obtain a measurement according to each direction of displacement on the measuring axis and to protect the force sensor against mechanical overloads. a vertical linear guide connected vertically to a support base comprising a position reference defining a vertical measuring axis; a mobile carriage capable of sliding in parallel along said guide; a driving device connected to the mobile carriage by a transmission, so as to be able to determine the linear displacement of the mobile carriage; a feeler attached to said mobile carriage and designed to come into contact with a part to be measured; a position transducer, arranged on the mobile carriage so as to supply a measurement of the position of the feeder relative to the measuring axis; the mobile carriage being connected to the driving device through at least one force sensor capable of measuring the contact force exerted by the probe on the part measured; the force sensor being assembled in an assembly device comprising one or several elastic elements interposed on one side and the other between the driving device and the mobile carriage, characterized in that the force sensor is constituted by a system of strain gauges or piezo-resistive elements, or by a load cell, said one or several elastic elements and the force sensor operating in series so that the sliding of the carriage is ensured by the driving device through the force sensor, said one or several elastic elements determining a pre-stressing of the force sensor and increasing the elastic run between the driving device and the mobile carriage to obtain a measurement according to each direction of displacement on the measuring axis and to protect the force sensor against mechanical overloads.