An explanation of paper sizes in the UK, US and Internationally. All sizes are given in millimeters and the closest approximation in inches. If it worth remembering when they use the term A$ in the US they are normally talking about US letter size. This is different to the A4 sized used in the rest of the world. (The international sizes). We have know this to cause endless ammounts of confusion.
I know this all seem a bit confusing but it is actually fairy simple. The most common sized used is the “A” series. Take the largest sheet, A0 and fold it in half using the long side. This gives you an A1 sized sheet. Again fold it in half using the long side and it will give you A2. And so on and so on. This can be a useful technique for resizing something in a graphics folder or even on a photocopier.
Paper Sizes (International).
| Format | A series | B series | C series | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | mm x mm | in x in | mm x mm | in x in | mm x mm | in x in |
| 0 | 841 x 1189 | 33.1 x 46.8 | 1000 x 1414 | 39.4 x 55.7 | 917 x 1297 | 36.1 x 51.1 |
| 1 | 594 x 841 | 23.4 x 33.1 | 707 x 1000 | 27.8 x 39.4 | 648 x 917 | 25.5 x 36.1 |
| 2 | 420 x 594 | 16.5 x 23.4 | 500 x 707 | 19.7 x 27.8 | 458 x 648 | 18.0 x 25.5 |
| 3 | 297 x 420 | 11.7 x 16.5 | 353 x 500 | 13.9 x 19.7 | 324 x 458 | 12.8 x 18.0 |
| 4 | 210 x 297 | 8.3 x 11.7 | 250 x 353 | 9.8 x 13.9 | 228 x 324 | 9.0 x 12.8 |
| 5 | 148 x 210 | 5.8 x 8.3 | 176 x 250 | 6.9 x 9.8 | 162 x 229 | 6.4 x 9.0 |
| 6 | 105 x 148 | 4.1 x 5.8 | 125 x 176 | 4.9 x 6.9 | 114 x 162 | 4.5 x 6.4 |
| 7 | 74 x 105 | 2.9 x 4.1 | 88 x 125 | 3.5 x 4.9 | 81 x 114.9 | 3.2 x 4.5 |
| 8 | 52 x 74 | 2.0 x 2.9 | 62 x 88 | 2.4 x 3.5 | 57 x 81 | 2.2 x 3.2 |
| 9 | 37 x 52 | 1.5 x 2.0 | 44 x 62 | 1.7 x 2.4 | 40 x 57 | 1.6 x 2.2 |
| 10 | 26 x 37 | 1.0 x 1.5 | 31 x 44 | 1.2 x 1.7 | 28 x 40 | 1.1 x 1.6 |
Paper Sizes (USA and Canada).
| Size | in x in | mm x mm |
|---|---|---|
| Letter | 8.5 x 11 | 216 x 279 |
| Legal | 8.5 x 14 | 216 x 356 |
| Junior Legal | 8.0 x 5.0 | 203 x 127 |
| Ledger | 17 x 11 | 432 x 279 |
| Tabloid | 11 x 17 | 279 x 432 |
Please don’t let this information overwhelm you. It isn’t as bad as it looks 🙂 .
