Scale 1:500: what does 1 cm on the map equal?
At a scale of 1:500, everything on paper is 500 times smaller than in reality: 1 cm on the drawing equals 500 cm, that is, 5 m on the ground. To convert, multiply the paper measurement by 500; to draw, divide the real measurement by 500.
Quick conversion
Type a value in either box. Open the full scale calculator
Conversion table
| On paper | On the ground |
|---|---|
| 1 mm | 50 cm |
| 5 mm | 2.5 m |
| 1 cm | 5 m |
| 2 cm | 10 m |
| 5 cm | 25 m |
| 10 cm | 50 m |
| 20 cm | 100 m |
| 50 cm | 250 m |
| On the ground | On paper |
|---|---|
| 50 cm | 1 mm |
| 1 m | 2 mm |
| 2 m | 4 mm |
| 5 m | 1 cm |
| 10 m | 2 cm |
| 20 m | 4 cm |
| 50 m | 10 cm |
| 100 m | 20 cm |
| 200 m | 40 cm |
How much fits on a sheet
| Sheet | Ground covered (whole sheet, no margins) | Area |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 148.5 m × 105 m | 1.5593 ha |
| A3 | 210 m × 148.5 m | 3.1185 ha |
| A2 | 297 m × 210 m | 6.237 ha |
| A1 | 420.5 m × 297 m | 12.4889 ha |
| A0 | 594.5 m × 420.5 m | 24.9987 ha |
What the 1:500 scale is used for
House and lot plans, architectural drawings and urban site surveys.
FAQ
What does 1 cm equal at a scale of 1:500?
1 cm on paper equals 5 m on the ground. Multiply the paper measurement by 500: 1 cm × 500 = 5 m.
How do you measure a distance on a 1:500 map?
Measure on paper with a ruler in centimeters and multiply by 5: the result is in meters. To draw, do the opposite: divide the real distance in meters by 5 to get centimeters on paper.
What does 1 cm² equal at a scale of 1:500?
1 cm² on paper corresponds to 25 m² on the ground, because area is multiplied by the square of the scale (500 × 500).