Tool · on every block page
On your sheet: how a block prints at each scale
Before you place a block on your own drawing, see how it prints: on A4 or A3 at 1:10, 1:20, 1:50 or 1:100, or on Letter or Tabloid at the US scales from 1" = 1'-0" to 1/8" = 1'-0", inside a frame with a title block. The page opens at the largest scale at which the block fits and writes its size on paper.
- Sheet sizes
- 4
- Scales
- 8
- Title block
- Name · view · scale
- Units
- in
Try it here
At 1/2" = 1'-0" the rectangular dining table for eight with armchairs prints 4.75 in × 3.12 in on Letter. A table for eight, 2.9 m long with its chairs: at 1:50 it prints a little under 6 cm on A4, the size it takes in a floor plan.
How big blocks print
| Block | Real size | 1/2" = 1'-0" | 1/4" = 1'-0" | 1/8" = 1'-0" | Opens at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen bed with two pillows and double turn-down | 5' 3" × 6' 7" | 2.6 × 3.3 in | 1.3 × 1.6 in | 0.7 × 0.8 in | 1/2" = 1'-0" |
| Three-seat sofa with stitched rounded arms and four pillows | 7' 4" × 2' 9" | 3.7 × 1.4 in | 1.8 × 0.7 in | 0.9 × 0.3 in | 1" = 1'-0" |
| Rectangular dining table for eight with armchairs | 9' 6" × 6' 3" | 4.7 × 3.1 in | 2.4 × 1.6 in | 1.2 × 0.8 in | 1/2" = 1'-0" |
| 36-inch kitchen sink base cabinet with two doors and a top drawer | 3' 0" × 3' 0" | 1.5 × 1.5 in | 0.7 × 0.7 in | 0.4 × 0.4 in | 1" = 1'-0" |
| Two-piece toilet with closed round lid and trip lever | 18½" × 2' 4" | 0.8 × 1.2 in | 0.4 × 0.6 in | 0.2 × 0.3 in | 1" = 1'-0" |
| Small 1980s three-door hatchback | 11' 1" × 3' 11" | 5.5 × 2.0 in | 2.8 × 1.0 in | 1.4 × 0.5 in | 1/2" = 1'-0" |
| Cuban royal palm (Roystonea regia) with feathery crown | 12' 8" × 33' 6" | 6.3 × 16.7 in | 3.2 × 8.4 in | 1.6 × 4.2 in | 1/8" = 1'-0" |
| Semi-trailer truck with long-nose sleeper tractor | 48' 0" × 12' 2" | 24.0 × 6.1 in | 12.0 × 3.1 in | 6.0 × 1.5 in | 1/8" = 1'-0" |
Sizes on paper are the block's width × height or depth divided by the scale. «Opens at» is the scale the block page chooses on Letter.
How it works
- 1Choose the sheet
Letter (11 × 8½ in) or Tabloid (17 × 11 in), landscape, with a 10 mm frame.
- 2Choose the scale
The buttons list the scales of your unit system; the drawing redraws at once and stays centered in the frame.
- 3Read the size on paper
The line under the sheet gives the printed width and height, or tells you when the block does not fit.
- 4Check the title block
Name, view and scale sit in the title block at the lower right, the way they will on your sheet.
What designers use it for
- Pick the scale of a set
A floor plan at 1:50 shows a 9' 6" table for eight at 58 mm; at 1:100 it drops to 29 mm, too small for the chairs to read.
- Lay out a detail sheet
A sink, a faucet or a door handle at 1:10 or 1:5 on A4 or Letter: check it fits with room for the dimensions.
- Plan a presentation board
See how much of an A3 or Tabloid sheet a block takes before composing a board of plans and elevations.
- Teach drawing scales
The same block at four scales on one sheet size shows students what 1:20 and 1:100 mean on paper.
Try it on these blocks
Common questions
Which scales does it show?
In meters, 1:10, 1:20, 1:50 and 1:100 on A4 and A3. In feet and inches, the US architectural scales 1" = 1'-0" (1:12), 1/2" = 1'-0" (1:24), 1/4" = 1'-0" (1:48) and 1/8" = 1'-0" (1:96) on Letter and Tabloid. The unit switch at the top of the page changes the set.
Why does it open at one scale and not another?
It opens at the largest scale at which the block fills no more than 80 % of the printable area, inside a 10 mm frame and above the title block, so the drawing reads well and keeps a margin.
Does the DWG come scaled?
No. Every file is drawn 1:1, full size, in meters or in inches. The preview shows how the block will look once you set that scale in your layout or viewport; you never scale the block itself.
What is in the title block?
The block's name, its view (plan, front elevation…) and the scale, in a strip at the lower right as on a drawing sheet.
How do I know the printed size?
It is written under the sheet: the block's width and height on paper, in millimeters or in inches, for the sheet and the scale you chose.