How To Calculate Architectural Scales

When designing structures, architects first draw the document on paper, scaling the drawing to reflect proper proportions. A scale shrinks everything in a design, keeping the relative sizes of all the parts just as they would be in real life. Scales are often used in models such as cars or airplanes.

Step 1

Determine the size of the object that you are designing. For example, an architect designs a house that is 40 feet tall.

Step 2

Measure the size of the object on your designing paper. In the example, the height of the house might be 1.5 feet.

Step 3

Set the ratio as the size of the design on the paper to the size of the design in real life. In the example, 1.5 feet to 40 feet.

Step 4

Evaluate the ratio to find the scale. In the example, 1.5 feet divided by 40 feet equals 0.0375, so the scale of the object is 0.0375 to 1.0.