Scale Library
53 scale ratios across 4 categories.
Architectural
Standard scales used in architectural drawings and building plans.
| Scale | Description | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | Full scale — actual size representation | Detail drawings |
| 1:2 | Half scale — commonly used for detail drawings and small components | Component details |
| 1:5 | One-fifth scale — used for detailed architectural sections | Wall sections |
| 1:10 | One-tenth scale — ideal for furniture and interior detail drawings | Furniture layouts |
| 1:20 | Used for room plans and detailed building sections | Room plans |
| 1:25 | Common European architectural scale for room-level drawings | Room layouts |
| 1:50 | The most widely used architectural scale. Ideal for floor plans and elevations of individual buildings | Floor plans |
| 1:75 | Intermediate scale used when 1:50 is too large and 1:100 too small | Medium building plans |
| 1:100 | Common scale for overall building plans and site context drawings | Building plans |
| 1:200 | Used for larger buildings and site plans showing surrounding context | Site plans |
| 1:250 | Planning scale for medium-to-large developments | Development layouts |
| 1:500 | Site-level scale used in planning and urban design submissions | Site location plans |
| 1:1000 | Large area plans for neighborhood and district-level planning | Neighborhood plans |
| 1:1250 | Standard UK Ordnance Survey large-scale plan | OS mapping (UK) |
| 1:2500 | Standard UK Ordnance Survey medium-scale plan | Location plans |
Engineering
Scales commonly used in civil, mechanical, and structural engineering.
| Scale | Description | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| 1:10 | Large-scale engineering detail drawings | Mechanical details |
| 1:20 | Engineering detail scale for structural connections | Structural connections |
| 1:50 | Standard engineering plan scale | Structural plans |
| 1:100 | General arrangement engineering drawings | General arrangements |
| 1:200 | Civil engineering site layouts | Site grading plans |
| 1:500 | Engineering survey and infrastructure scale | Topographic surveys |
| 1:1000 | Large-area engineering plans | Highway overviews |
| 1:2500 | Regional engineering overview scale | Regional infrastructure |
Model & Miniature
Scales used for scale models, miniatures, tabletop gaming, and dioramas.
| Scale | Description | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| 1:6 | Playscale — used for large action figures and fashion dolls | Action figures (12") |
| 1:8 | Large model scale for premium collectibles | Premium model cars |
| 1:12 | Dollhouse scale — one of the most popular miniature scales worldwide | Dollhouses |
| 1:16 | Common scale for farm and military vehicle models | Farm equipment models |
| 1:18 | One of the most popular scales for diecast model cars | Diecast model cars |
| 1:24 | Popular model car and plastic kit scale. Half-inch scale in dollhouse miniatures | Plastic model kits |
| 1:25 | Common American plastic model kit scale | AMT/ERTL model kits |
| 1:32 | Popular for slot cars, farm models, and military figures | Slot cars |
| 1:35 | The most popular scale for military model building worldwide | Military vehicles |
| 1:43 | Standard O gauge model railway scale. Very popular for diecast cars | Diecast car collections |
| 1:48 | Quarter-inch scale — popular for aircraft models and O scale railways | Aircraft models |
| 1:64 | S scale railways. Also the scale of Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars | Hot Wheels / Matchbox |
| 1:72 | One of the most versatile and widely used model scales, especially for aircraft | Aircraft models |
| 1:76 | OO gauge model railway scale, predominant in the UK | OO gauge railways (UK) |
| 1:87 | HO scale — the world's most popular model railway scale | HO scale railways |
| 1:144 | Popular for small aircraft and Gundam models | Gundam models |
| 1:160 | N scale — popular compact model railway scale | N scale railways |
| 1:220 | Z scale — the smallest commercially popular model railway scale | Z scale railways |
| 1:350 | Popular scale for warship and naval vessel models | Warship models |
| 1:700 | Waterline ship model scale — very popular for WWII fleets | Waterline ship models |
Map & Survey
Cartographic scales used in topographic maps, surveys, and GIS.
| Scale | Description | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| 1:1,000 | Large-scale mapping for detailed urban surveys | Urban surveys |
| 1:2,500 | Standard large-scale topographic mapping | Topographic mapping |
| 1:5,000 | Town-level mapping and planning scale | Town planning |
| 1:10,000 | Detailed topographic map scale | Hiking maps (detailed) |
| 1:25,000 | The most popular scale for hiking and outdoor recreation maps | Hiking / OS Explorer maps |
| 1:50,000 | Standard topographic map scale used by military and civilians worldwide | OS Landranger maps |
| 1:100,000 | Regional planning and overview mapping | Road atlases |
| 1:250,000 | Strategic-level mapping for large regions | Road maps |
| 1:500,000 | Aeronautical and national-level overview maps | Aeronautical charts |
| 1:1,000,000 | International Map of the World standard scale | International Map of the World |