1:500 Scale Calculator

1:500 is used for large buildings, master plans and urban models where smaller scales would be unwieldy. At 1:500, 1 cm on the drawing equals 5 metres in reality.

Scale Converter

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What fits at 1:500

Site plans, master planning, large building footprints and urban massing models.

Real subjectReal size1:500 model
Ten-storey building (height) 32 m 6.4 cm
Football pitch (length) 105 m 21 cm
City block 100 m 20 cm
Two-storey house (height) 8 m 1.6 cm

Size comparison at 1:500

Relative model sizes at 1:500 (longest bar = largest model):

1:500 in mm, cm and inches

How common real-world sizes convert to 1:500 model size:

Real sizeModel (mm)Model (cm)Model (inches)
1 m 2 mm 0.2 cm 0.079 in
2 m 4 mm 0.4 cm 0.157 in
5 m 10 mm 1 cm 0.394 in
10 m 20 mm 2 cm 0.787 in
1 ft 0.61 mm 0.061 cm 0.024 in
6 ft (person) 3.66 mm 0.366 cm 0.144 in

Frequently asked questions

What does 1:500 mean?

1 cm on the drawing equals 500 cm (5 m) in reality, so a 105 m football pitch is drawn 21 cm long.

Related scales

→ See all scales