Scale 1:50,000: what does 1 cm on the map equal?
At a scale of 1:50,000, everything on paper is 50,000 times smaller than in reality: 1 cm on the drawing equals 50,000 cm, that is, 500 m on the ground. To convert, multiply the paper measurement by 50,000; to draw, divide the real measurement by 50,000.
Quick conversion
Type a value in either box. Open the full scale calculator
Conversion table
| On paper | On the ground |
|---|---|
| 1 mm | 50 m |
| 5 mm | 250 m |
| 1 cm | 500 m |
| 2 cm | 1 km |
| 5 cm | 2.5 km |
| 10 cm | 5 km |
| 20 cm | 10 km |
| 50 cm | 25 km |
| On the ground | On paper |
|---|---|
| 50 m | 1 mm |
| 100 m | 2 mm |
| 200 m | 4 mm |
| 500 m | 1 cm |
| 1 km | 2 cm |
| 2 km | 4 cm |
| 5 km | 10 cm |
| 10 km | 20 cm |
| 20 km | 40 cm |
How much fits on a sheet
| Sheet | Ground covered (whole sheet, no margins) | Area |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 14.85 km × 10.5 km | 155.93 km² |
| A3 | 21 km × 14.85 km | 311.85 km² |
| A2 | 29.7 km × 21 km | 623.7 km² |
| A1 | 42.05 km × 29.7 km | 1,248.89 km² |
| A0 | 59.45 km × 42.05 km | 2,499.87 km² |
What the 1:50,000 scale is used for
Official topographic maps, rural planning, hiking and field maps.
FAQ
What does 1 cm equal at a scale of 1:50,000?
1 cm on paper equals 500 m on the ground. Multiply the paper measurement by 50,000: 1 cm × 50,000 = 500 m.
How do you measure a distance on a 1:50,000 map?
Measure on paper with a ruler in centimeters and multiply by 500: the result is in meters. To draw, do the opposite: divide the real distance in meters by 500 to get centimeters on paper.
What does 1 cm² equal at a scale of 1:50,000?
1 cm² on paper corresponds to 25 ha on the ground, because area is multiplied by the square of the scale (50,000 × 50,000).