Scale 1:5,000: what does 1 cm on the map equal?
At a scale of 1:5,000, everything on paper is 5,000 times smaller than in reality: 1 cm on the drawing equals 5,000 cm, that is, 50 m on the ground. To convert, multiply the paper measurement by 5,000; to draw, divide the real measurement by 5,000.
Quick conversion
Type a value in either box. Open the full scale calculator
Conversion table
| On paper | On the ground |
|---|---|
| 1 mm | 5 m |
| 5 mm | 25 m |
| 1 cm | 50 m |
| 2 cm | 100 m |
| 5 cm | 250 m |
| 10 cm | 500 m |
| 20 cm | 1 km |
| 50 cm | 2.5 km |
| On the ground | On paper |
|---|---|
| 5 m | 1 mm |
| 10 m | 2 mm |
| 20 m | 4 mm |
| 50 m | 1 cm |
| 100 m | 2 cm |
| 200 m | 4 cm |
| 500 m | 10 cm |
| 1 km | 20 cm |
| 2 km | 40 cm |
How much fits on a sheet
| Sheet | Ground covered (whole sheet, no margins) | Area |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 1.485 km × 1.05 km | 1.5593 km² |
| A3 | 2.1 km × 1.485 km | 3.1185 km² |
| A2 | 2.97 km × 2.1 km | 6.237 km² |
| A1 | 4.205 km × 2.97 km | 12.4889 km² |
| A0 | 5.945 km × 4.205 km | 24.9987 km² |
What the 1:5,000 scale is used for
Topographic and cadastral plans, subdivisions, road and construction drawings.
FAQ
What does 1 cm equal at a scale of 1:5,000?
1 cm on paper equals 50 m on the ground. Multiply the paper measurement by 5,000: 1 cm × 5,000 = 50 m.
How do you measure a distance on a 1:5,000 map?
Measure on paper with a ruler in centimeters and multiply by 50: the result is in meters. To draw, do the opposite: divide the real distance in meters by 50 to get centimeters on paper.
What does 1 cm² equal at a scale of 1:5,000?
1 cm² on paper corresponds to 2,500 m² on the ground, because area is multiplied by the square of the scale (5,000 × 5,000).