Capacitance Conversion Calculator
Convert capacitance between picofarads, nanofarads, microfarads, millifarads, and farads. Common capacitor presets, charge estimation, and reference table for electronic components.
Scale Conversion Calculator
Convert between actual and scale model/map dimensions. Supports any ratio, 8 length units, area/volume scaling, and 15 common scale references.
Scale Conversion Calculator
:
Scale Model Size⧉
5.00 cm
50.0 mm / 1.97 in
Actual Size⧉
5.000 m
16.40 ft
Scale Ratio⧉
1:100
Factor: 0.01000000
Area Scale⧉
1:10,000
Areas scale as ratio² (100.00× smaller)
Volume Scale⧉
1:1,000,000
Volumes scale as ratio³
1 cm on model =⧉
1.00 m actual
Quick reference
Common Scales Reference
| Scale | Use | Field | 1 cm = |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | Full size / actual | General | 0.0 m |
| 1:10 | Detail drawings | Engineering | 0.1 m |
| 1:24 | Model cars, dollhouses | Models | 0.2 m |
| 1:48 | O gauge trains | Models | 0.5 m |
| 1:50 | Construction drawings | Architecture | 0.5 m |
| 1:72 | Aircraft models | Models | 0.7 m |
| 1:87 | HO gauge trains | Models | 0.9 m |
| 1:100 | Floor plans | Architecture | 1.0 m |
| 1:160 | N gauge trains | Models | 1.6 m |
| 1:200 | Site plans, elevations | Architecture | 2.0 m |
| 1:500 | Urban planning | Planning | 5.0 m |
| 1:1250 | Ordnance Survey plans | Mapping | 12.5 m |
| 1:25000 | Hiking maps | Mapping | 250.0 m |
| 1:50000 | Topographic maps | Mapping | 500.0 m |
| 1:250000 | Road maps | Mapping | 2,500.0 m |
Planning notes, formulas, and examples
About the Scale Conversion Calculator
Scale drawings and models represent real-world objects at a reduced (or enlarged) size using a fixed ratio — 1:100 means 1 unit on the drawing equals 100 units in reality. Architects, model builders, cartographers, and engineers work with scales daily, and converting between scale and actual dimensions requires careful unit management, especially when crossing between metric and imperial systems.
This calculator handles bidirectional scale conversion (actual → model and model → actual) for any scale ratio, with eight length units (mm, cm, m, km, inches, feet, yards, miles). It also calculates area and volume scale factors — critical because areas scale as the square of the linear ratio and volumes as the cube, which is non-intuitive and a common source of errors.
With presets for common architectural, model-building, and cartographic scales, plus a reference table of 15 standard scales used across architecture, engineering, model railroading, and mapping, this converter serves anyone who needs to translate between the miniature and the full-sized world.
When This Page Helps
Converting between scale and actual dimensions gets error-prone fast once you change units or square and cube dimensions for area and volume. This converter keeps architectural drawings, models, and maps aligned with the real-world size they represent, so you can move cleanly between scale and actual measurements.
How to Use the Inputs
- Select conversion direction: Actual → Scale or Scale → Actual.
- Enter the scale ratio (e.g., 1:100 for architectural floor plans).
- Enter the dimension value and select its unit.
- Click a preset for common scale/dimension combinations.
- Read the converted dimension in multiple units.
- Check area and volume scale factors for materials and capacity calculations.
- Consult the common scales reference table.
Formula used
Model dimension = Actual dimension × (scale numerator ÷ scale denominator)
Actual dimension = Model dimension ÷ (scale numerator ÷ scale denominator)
Area scale ratio = linear ratio²
Volume scale ratio = linear ratio³Example Calculation
Result: 5 cm on drawing
5 m × (1/100) = 0.05 m = 5 cm. A 5-meter wall is drawn as 5 cm at 1:100 scale.
Tips & Best Practices
- At 1:100 scale, 1 cm on paper = 1 m in reality — the easiest scale for mental math.
- Model builders: always check your scale before buying aftermarket parts — HO (1:87) and OO (1:76) look similar but don't mix.
- For 3D printing, calculate volume scale to estimate material usage: a 1:10 model uses 1:1000 of the material of full size.
- Architects often draw at 1:50 for individual rooms and 1:200 for whole buildings on the same sheet.
- When measuring on a printed map or drawing, verify the scale bar — printing at a different paper size changes the effective scale.
Architectural Scales
Architects use standardized scales based on paper size and drawing complexity. Floor plans at 1:100 fit most residential buildings on A3 paper. Detail sections at 1:10 or 1:20 show construction details. Site plans at 1:200 or 1:500 show building context.
Model Railroad Scales
| Scale | Ratio | Gauge (track width) | Popularity | |---|---|---|---| | Z | 1:220 | 6.5 mm | Growing | | N | 1:160 | 9 mm | Very popular | | HO | 1:87 | 16.5 mm | Most popular worldwide | | OO | 1:76 | 16.5 mm | Most popular in UK | | O | 1:48 | 32 mm | Large home layouts | | G | 1:22.5 | 45 mm | Garden railways |
Map Scales
| Scale | 1 cm on map = | Typical use | |---|---|---| | 1:1,250 | 12.5 m | Urban cadastral | | 1:10,000 | 100 m | City planning | | 1:25,000 | 250 m | Hiking/orienteering | | 1:50,000 | 500 m | Topographic/military | | 1:250,000 | 2.5 km | Road atlas | | 1:1,000,000 | 10 km | Country/continent |
Sources & Methodology
Last updated:
Frequently Asked Questions
1 unit on the drawing or model equals 100 units in real life. At 1:100, 1 cm on paper represents 1 meter in reality.
Floor plans typically use 1:100 or 1:50. Site plans use 1:200 or 1:500. Detail drawings use 1:10 or 1:20. Topographic maps use 1:25,000 or 1:50,000. Model builders follow standardized scales (1:24, 1:72, 1:87, etc.).
Area scales as the square of the linear ratio. A 1:100 linear scale means areas are 1:10,000. A 10 m² room at 1:100 is 10 cm² on paper.
HO (or H0) scale is 1:87, the most popular model railroad scale. "HO" stands for "half O" — it is roughly half the size of O gauge (1:48).
Yes. Enter the scale from the map legend (e.g., 1:50,000) and the map measurement. The calculator will give you the real-world distance.
Set the numerator larger than the denominator (e.g., 2:1). This is common for detail drawings and microscopy reference images.
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