Scale 1:500,000: what does 1 cm on the map equal?
At a scale of 1:500,000, everything on paper is 500,000 times smaller than in reality: 1 cm on the drawing equals 500,000 cm, that is, 5 km on the ground. To convert, multiply the paper measurement by 500,000; to draw, divide the real measurement by 500,000.
Quick conversion
Type a value in either box. Open the full scale calculator
Conversion table
| On paper | On the ground |
|---|---|
| 1 mm | 500 m |
| 5 mm | 2.5 km |
| 1 cm | 5 km |
| 2 cm | 10 km |
| 5 cm | 25 km |
| 10 cm | 50 km |
| 20 cm | 100 km |
| 50 cm | 250 km |
| On the ground | On paper |
|---|---|
| 500 m | 1 mm |
| 1 km | 2 mm |
| 2 km | 4 mm |
| 5 km | 1 cm |
| 10 km | 2 cm |
| 20 km | 4 cm |
| 50 km | 10 cm |
| 100 km | 20 cm |
| 200 km | 40 cm |
How much fits on a sheet
| Sheet | Ground covered (whole sheet, no margins) | Area |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 148.5 km × 105 km | 15,592.5 km² |
| A3 | 210 km × 148.5 km | 31,185 km² |
| A2 | 297 km × 210 km | 62,370 km² |
| A1 | 420.5 km × 297 km | 124,888.5 km² |
| A0 | 594.5 km × 420.5 km | 249,987.25 km² |
What the 1:500,000 scale is used for
Regional and road maps and overviews of large areas.
FAQ
What does 1 cm equal at a scale of 1:500,000?
1 cm on paper equals 5 km on the ground. Multiply the paper measurement by 500,000: 1 cm × 500,000 = 5 km.
How do you measure a distance on a 1:500,000 map?
Measure on paper with a ruler in centimeters and multiply by 5,000: the result is in meters. To draw, do the opposite: divide the real distance in meters by 5,000 to get centimeters on paper.
What does 1 cm² equal at a scale of 1:500,000?
1 cm² on paper corresponds to 25 km² on the ground, because area is multiplied by the square of the scale (500,000 × 500,000).