Map Scale and Distance Calculator
A calculator for determining lengths based on map scale and ratios of two scales. Calculate scale, distance on the map or real distance on Earth. Please enter two values, the third will be calculated.
An example: on a map with the scale 1:20000, 3 centimeters accord to 0.6 kilometers in reality.
1 cm ⇒ 20000 cm
3 cm ⇒ 20000 * 3 cm = 60000 cm = 600 m = 0.6 km
The scale is rounded to integers, the distance of the map to 0.1, the real distance to 0.001.
Small scale means a large x at 1:x, large scale means a small x at 1:x. A small scale captures a large area with few details, such as a world map. A large scale captures a small area with many details, such as a site plan.
Compare Scales
Calculate lengths from map scales and convert different scales. Enter the length of a distance on a map, the scale and the unit and click Calculate. Real length returns the real distance on Earth.
A map, sketch or similar is true to scale if the objects entered there are in the same size ratio to each other as the corresponding models in reality. So if, for example, the distance between two points in a city is twice as large as the distance between two other points, then this ratio must also be the same on the map. In addition, the angles are retained, so an angle in the original is the same size on the map.
Lengths and widths should of course be on the same scale. If a map shows reliefs, including heights, then these usually have a different, generally smaller scale. I.e. the heights are shown larger in relation to the lengths and widths, often in a ratio of 10 to 1. This is done so that the heights on the relief can be seen better.
