Scale 1:100,000: what does 1 cm on the map equal?
At a scale of 1:100,000, everything on paper is 100,000 times smaller than in reality: 1 cm on the drawing equals 100,000 cm, that is, 1 km on the ground. To convert, multiply the paper measurement by 100,000; to draw, divide the real measurement by 100,000.
Quick conversion
Type a value in either box. Open the full scale calculator
Conversion table
| On paper | On the ground |
|---|---|
| 1 mm | 100 m |
| 5 mm | 500 m |
| 1 cm | 1 km |
| 2 cm | 2 km |
| 5 cm | 5 km |
| 10 cm | 10 km |
| 20 cm | 20 km |
| 50 cm | 50 km |
| On the ground | On paper |
|---|---|
| 100 m | 1 mm |
| 200 m | 2 mm |
| 500 m | 5 mm |
| 1 km | 1 cm |
| 2 km | 2 cm |
| 5 km | 5 cm |
| 10 km | 10 cm |
| 20 km | 20 cm |
| 50 km | 50 cm |
How much fits on a sheet
| Sheet | Ground covered (whole sheet, no margins) | Area |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 29.7 km × 21 km | 623.7 km² |
| A3 | 42 km × 29.7 km | 1,247.4 km² |
| A2 | 59.4 km × 42 km | 2,494.8 km² |
| A1 | 84.1 km × 59.4 km | 4,995.54 km² |
| A0 | 118.9 km × 84.1 km | 9,999.49 km² |
What the 1:100,000 scale is used for
Regional and road maps and overviews of large areas.
FAQ
What does 1 cm equal at a scale of 1:100,000?
1 cm on paper equals 1 km on the ground. Multiply the paper measurement by 100,000: 1 cm × 100,000 = 1 km.
How do you measure a distance on a 1:100,000 map?
Measure on paper with a ruler in centimeters and multiply by 1,000: the result is in meters. To draw, do the opposite: divide the real distance in meters by 1,000 to get centimeters on paper.
What does 1 cm² equal at a scale of 1:100,000?
1 cm² on paper corresponds to 1 km² on the ground, because area is multiplied by the square of the scale (100,000 × 100,000).