Architectural Scale Converter — 1:50, 1:100, 1:200
Real dimension to drawing dimension, or back again, at any scale.
Free · no sign-up · nothing uploaded — the maths runs in your browser.
On the drawing
96 mm
9.6 cm · 3.78 in
Divide by 50. Only holds if the sheet is printed at 100% — “fit to page” quietly rescales.
Why this matters
Scale conversion is the arithmetic every architect does a hundred times and still occasionally gets wrong at four in the afternoon. A 4.8 m wall at 1:50 is 96 mm on the sheet; at 1:100 it is 48 mm. Getting that backwards on a printed set is the kind of mistake that survives all the way to site.
This converts in both directions. Enter a real-world dimension to get what it should measure on the drawing, or measure something on a printed sheet and get the real dimension back. Metric and imperial both work, and the common architectural scales are preset.
It runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, and there is no sign-up — measure what you need and close the tab.
Worth knowing
- —Printed drawings only hold their scale if the sheet was printed at 100% — "fit to page" silently rescales everything
- —A scale bar on the drawing is the only reliable check; printers and PDF viewers both lie about size
- —For a quick site measurement, 1:50 gives you millimetre resolution on a sheet you can still fold
Frequently asked
How do I convert a real dimension to 1:50 scale?+
Divide the real dimension by 50. A 4.8 m (4800 mm) wall becomes 96 mm on the drawing. The converter above does it in both directions so you do not have to remember which way the division goes.
What is the difference between 1:50 and 1:100?+
At 1:50 the drawing is half the size of a 1:100 drawing of the same building — so 1:50 shows twice the detail per sheet and needs twice the paper. 1:50 is typical for detailed plans and sections; 1:100 for general arrangement; 1:200 and above for site and location plans.
Does this work with imperial scales?+
Yes. Imperial architectural scales are expressed as fractions of an inch to a foot — 1/4" = 1'-0" is the same as 1:48, and 1/8" = 1'-0" is 1:96. Switch the unit and the preset scales change accordingly.
Can I turn a scaled drawing into a 3D render?+
Yes, but through a different tool. Archome's Plan and Render turns a 2D floor plan image into a photorealistic 3D view in about 30 seconds — the layout you drew is preserved, and the AI adds materials, furniture and light on top.
Keep going
Archome AI turns a photo, sketch or CAD viewport into a photorealistic render in about 30 seconds. Every account gets 100 free credits to start with no card — start free or read the guide for architects.