Determining and Understanding Scale (2024)

Determining and Understanding Scale

When a product lists the scale of the item, it is referring to the ratio of the project to an actual item.

1 Inch Scale
The most popular scale for dollhouses is 1" scale, also sometimes called 1/12th scale, is 1” = 1’. For every foot of an actual item it is configured as equaling one inch in this scale. An example: a man who is 6' tall would be 6” tall in this scale.

1/2 Scale, 1/4" Scale, Other Scales

• 1/2" scale (1/2" = 1 foot), 1/24th, sometimes called half scale


• 1/4" scale (1/4" = 1 foot), 1/48th, sometimes called quarter scale


• 1/44” scale (1/144” = 1 foot), 1/144th, sometimes called dollhouse for a dollhouse scale


• 1/6” scale (1/6” = 1 foot), sometimes called Playscale or Barbie scale.

Keep in mind that this all involves the ratio of the actual to the scale. A misconception is that ½” scale is half the size of 1”, or ¼” is one fourth the size of 1”. This is not always true. You must consider you are determining the scale of a 3 dimensional object.




1" scale: 1 foot in real life, equals 1 inch in miniature life. Also known as 1/12th Scale. Always when breaking down a real life object to a certain scale, you divide the length and width by the number of parts in scale , 12 for one inch scale, 24 for half scale, or 48 for quarter scale. Don't assume it is always half the size. Keep going to the next photos, you will get this!





1/2" scale: 1 foot in real life, equals 1/2 inch in miniature life. Also known as 1/24th scale. Here is the part that is important: 1/2" scale is not half the size of 1" scale. Because miniatures are 3 dimensional, you have to account for the length as well as the width. So it is actually a quarter of the 3 dimensional size of one.





1/4" scale: one foot in real life equals 1/4 inch in real life. Also known as 1/48th scale. Remembering the rule of 3 dimensions you see how you have to lessen by length and width. When working with scale you are not simply dividing by half, you are dividing the original (one foot in real life) by parts.