Tool · on every block page

Explore at scale: a grid at full size to zoom and measure on

Every block page carries a grid at real size under the drawing. Drag it, zoom from a whole kitchen wall down to a single knob, and measure any distance between two points with two clicks, in meters and in feet and inches. A block drawn in several views shows them all on the same grid, the plan above the front elevation, so a size can be read across views.

Block pages: 829
With several views: 423
Grid steps: 1 cm – 10 m
Units: m · ft-in

Try it here

Four real blocks

Grid 12", bold every 5' 0"

Plan, front and side on one grid: measure the mattress, then carry the same width down to the foot of the bed in elevation. Open its block page.

How it works

5 steps

1Drag the drawing
Press and drag, or drag with one finger, to move the block on the grid. The fit button brings the whole drawing back in view.
2Zoom in and out
Scroll, pinch or use the + and − buttons. The zoom follows the pointer, so the part you look at stays where it is.
3Read the grid
The squares change with the zoom and the step is written in the corner. In meters: 1 cm (bold every 10 cm), 5 cm (bold every 50 cm), 10 cm (bold every 1 m), 50 cm (bold every 5 m), 1 m (bold every 10 m), and up to 10 m. In feet and inches: 3 in (bold every 1 ft), 6 in (bold every 2 ft), 1 ft (bold every 5 ft), 5 ft (bold every 25 ft), and up to 50 ft.
4Measure two points
Turn on the ruler, click a first point and a second one: the distance is written along the line in both units. Measure as many as you need; Esc or «Clear measurements» removes them.
5Switch the views
With several views, «All» shows them on one grid in the US layout; one button per view shows a single view at a larger size. The person, the grid and the overall dimensions can each be turned off.

What designers use it for

Check a clearance before placing a block
Measure the free space a piece needs in front of it: the 2' 11" door leaf of a single swing door, or the 5' 3" of a queen bed against the room you are drawing.
Read a detail without opening CAD
Zoom on a knob, a hinge or a drain and measure it: the lines are the ones of the file, so the size is the size of the block.
Compare plan and elevations
Read a depth in plan and carry it into the side elevation on the same grid: a sofa's seat, a cabinet's toe kick, a range's door swing.
Size planting and outdoor pieces
A royal palm stands 33' 6" tall with a crown of 12' 8": zoom out and the grid turns to meters, so the spread of a tree reads at once next to a person.
Teach scale
Students see that a drawing at 1:1 is a real object: a grid square of 1 m beside a person is one step.
Measure in the other unit
A metric block measured in feet and inches, or the other way round, without converting by hand: both are written on each measurement.

Try it on these blocks

Each opens its block page at the tool

Three-seat sofa with stitched rounded arms and four pillows7' 4" × 2' 9"Rectangular dining table for eight with armchairs9' 6" × 6' 3"Square-edge sink with ribbed right drainboard2' 11" × 21"Banquette along a wall with two-seat tables and chairs16' 4" × 7' 2"Semi-trailer truck with long-nose sleeper tractor48' 0" × 12' 2"60-inch double vanity on legs with drawers and floating top5' 0" × 3' 2"Sectional garage door 9 x 7 ft with a row of windows9' 0" × 7' 0"Tree canopy of large heart-shaped leaf lobes12' 5" × 12' 6"

Common questions

Is the grid at real size?

Yes. The drawing and the grid share one unit, the meter: one grid square of 10 cm is 10 cm of the block, whatever the zoom. That is why a distance measured on the grid is the block's own.

Why do the grid lines change when I zoom?

The grid keeps its squares between about 12 pixels and a few dozen on screen: from 1 cm squares with a bold line every 10 cm up close, to 10 m squares with a bold line every 100 m on a whole street. In feet and inches it steps from 1 in to 50 ft, with a bold line every foot up close.

Can I measure from the plan to an elevation?

Yes. A block with several views shows them all on one grid, laid out as US drawings set them: the plan above the front elevation, the side and rear elevations to its right. A measurement can start in one view and end in another, and the views line up, so a width read in plan is the same width in elevation.

Does the measurement follow my units?

It is written in both: feet and inches first, then meters. The switch at the top of every page changes the order, the grid and the dimensions together.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes: drag with one finger, pinch to zoom, and tap twice with the ruler on to measure. The toolbar stays at the bottom of the drawing.

Is it the same drawing as the download?

It is drawn from the same lines as the DWG, DXF and SVG of the block, at full size, so what you measure here is what you get in your drawing.

The other tools

On your sheetHow a block prints on A4, A3, Letter or Tabloid at each scale.In the roomEvery block in a room, with the clearances checked.How big is it?Every block beside a person, a door, a car or a sheet of paper.My packCollect blocks as you browse and download them in one ZIP.Size guidesThe sizes of every kind of piece, library by library.All the toolsEverything a block page does, on one page.