Odd Occurrence

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I am aware that what I'm about to say is a small, insignificant occurrence but it was odd nonetheless.
>be me
>started working at an undisclosed fixture company 3 weeks ago
>my job is to get all the materials organized for the builders
>primarily prepare back panels, writing designations (job number, item number, and measurements) and all that
>get a small job, nothing special, just need to cut down a few backs
>cut down backs on table-saw, staple a rail to them since they're lower cabinets, and mark them with their designations
>send the job out to Builder 1
>5 minutes later builder calls me over
>what did I fuck up this time?

Now I should add that measurements when making different parts of a cabinet are a little confusing. The back must be 3/4 in less than the measurements of the box whereas the rail for the lowers must be 1 5/11 in shorter. this is so the back fits into the joints of the box and the rail sits between the walls without obstructing them. So, if i had a 27 in box, the back would be 26 1/4 in and the rail would be 23 11/16 in. Yeah, confusing, but it makes sense when you put it together.

>builder shows me that the back is 1/2 in short
>measure it
>the measurement should be correct
>maybe the rail is thinner than usual
>measure it
>measure others
>nope, standard rails
>maybe the box itself is the problem
>call over my coworker and only friend there
>he measures everything
>all good
>call supervisor and other, more experienced coworker
>measure everything 4 times over
>everything is the right size
>builder puts it back together
>missing 1/2 in
>mess around with it for a while
>nothing works, back won't fit correctly into the box regardless of having the proper measurement
>pull the job

I ended up having to custom cut backs for this cabinet. My coworker/friend joked about the missing 1/2 in for a little longer but I can't seem to let it go. It was just so bizarre. Can anyone explain this?