Drawing Scales - The Engineering ToolBox

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Blueprint drawings are typically drawn in

• 1:20, 1:50 or 1:100 (SI-units)

or

• 1/4" or 1/8" (Imperial units, US)

scales.

SI-Units

To scale a SI-drawing

• multiply the measurement on the drawing with the denominator

where the denominator is the number after the colon.

Example - Blueprint Drawing Scale 1:50

An actual length of 1 cm is measured on a 1:50 blueprint floor plan. The physical length can be calculated as

(1 cm) 50 = 50 cm

Imperial Units - U.S.

A 1/4" scale means that each 1/4" (inch) on the plan counts for 1' (feet) of actual physical length.

To scale a blueprint in imperial units to actual feet

• multiply the measurement on the drawing (in inches decimal equivalent) with the denominator

where the denominator is the bottom number.

Example - Blueprint Drawing Scale 1/4"

An actual length is measured to 1-3/8" on a 1/4" blueprint floor plan. The physical length can be calculated as

(1-3/8 inch) 4 = (1.375 inch) 4

= 5.5 feet

= 5' 6"

Commonly Used Drawing Scales

Details

• 1:1
• 1:5
• 1:10
• 1:20

Component Drawings, Assembly

• 1:20
• 1:10
• 1:5

Floor Plans, General Arrangement (GA)

• 1:40
• 1:50

Location Plot Plans

• 1:80
• 1:100
• 1:200

Location Plat Plans

• 1:500

Block Plan, City Maps and larger

• 1:1000
• 1:1250
• 1:2500

Ordnance Survey Maps

• 1:100000
• 1:50000
• 1:25000
• 1:10000

My Short List

Related Topics

• Basics

  Basic engineering data. SI-system, unit converters, physical constants, drawing scales and more.

• Drawing Tools

  2D and 3D engineering drawing tools.

Related Documents

ANSI/ASME Y14.1 - U.S. Standard Engineering Drawing Sizes

US engineering drawing sizes based on ANSI/ASME Y14.1.

Area Survey App

Online app that can be used to make an exact plot of a surveyed area - like a room, a property or any 2D shape.

Blueprint Letters

Letters commonly used to differentiate blueprint drawings.

Builder's to Surveyor's Measurements

Convert builder's measurements to surveyor's measurements.

Building Tolerances

Typical tolerances for floors, walls, columns and more.

Drawings - Sheet Layouts

Standard drawing sheets layouts.

Drawings - Standard Metric Sizes

Standard metric drawing sheet sizes.

Golden Section

Golden Section also called the Golden Mean.

HVAC Diagram - Online Drawing Tool

Draw HVAC diagrams online with this Google Drive drawing tool.

Lengths and Areas vs. Mapping Scales

Convert lengths areas between different mapping scales.

P&ID Diagram - Online Drawing Tool

Draw P&ID diagrams online in the browser with Google Docs.

Paper Drafting Sizes - Comparing ISO and U.S. Drawing Sheets

ISO vs. U.S. and Canadian drawing sheets.

Paper Drafting Sizes - ISO 216 series A, B and C

ISO 216 A, B and C drawing series - dimensions of regular, oversized and envelope sheets.

Paper Sizes - commonly used in U.S. Offices

Office paper sizes as Letter, Legal, Tabloid and more.

Paper Sizes - Imperial

Printing and drawing papers sizes.

Scales of Objects

The relative scale of objects.

U.S. Standard Architectural Drawing Sizes

US architectural drawing sizes and formats.

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Unit Converter

Temperature oC K oF

Length m km in ft yards miles naut miles

Area m2 km2 in2 ft2 miles2 acres

Volume m3 liters in3 ft3 us gal

Weight kgf N lbf

Velocity m/s km/h ft/min ft/s mph knots

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Flow m3/s m3/h US gpm cfm

11.6.8

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