HEIGHTCOMPARE CLASSROOM

From real height to paper

Plan a scale drawing, check its size and save your working.

How to use ↓

Feet are decimal: 5.5 ft means 5 ft 6 in.

At 1:10, one unit on paper represents ten of the same units in real life.

Scale Drawing Calculator

Plan a scale drawing of a person, object or building. Enter a real height and a reduction scale, or enter a drawing size to work back to the real height.

How to use the scale drawing calculator

  1. Choose whether to calculate a drawing size or a real height.
  2. Enter the known measurement and select its unit. Feet use decimal notation: 5.5 ft equals 5 ft 6 in.
  3. Enter the denominator of the scale. For 1:20, enter 20.
  4. Select Calculate size and check the working. Download the worksheet PNG or use Print worksheet.

Worked example: draw a 180 cm person at 1:10

Divide 180 cm by 10 to get 18 cm on paper. At 1:20, the same height becomes 9 cm. The person’s proportions stay the same when every dimension uses the same scale.

Work backwards from a drawing

A figure that is 8.5 cm tall at 1:20 represents a real height of 170 cm: 8.5 × 20 = 170. Convert both measurements into the same unit before finding or applying a scale.

Classroom activity

Measure three familiar objects, select one scale and calculate their drawing heights. Draw them on the same baseline. Double the scale denominator and predict the new sizes before calculating. This links measurement, division, ratios and proportional reasoning.

Questions about scale drawings

Does 1:10 mean ten times bigger?

Here it is a reduction: one unit on the drawing represents ten units in real life. A 100 cm object is 10 cm on paper.

Is the screen preview or downloaded worksheet a physical ruler?

No. Device screens, image resizing and printer settings change physical size. Use the calculated dimensions with a ruler on paper. Very small bars have a minimum display size so they remain visible.

Can I use metres, millimetres, inches or feet?

Yes. Inputs are converted to centimetres before applying the ratio. One inch equals 2.54 cm; one foot equals 30.48 cm. Decimal feet are different from separate feet and inches.

Does the tool save my measurements?

No entries are saved by this calculator. The worksheet stays on your device when you download it. Printing uses your browser’s print window.

Try the height converter, family height chart or education guide.