Guides

Short, practical guides to measuring drawings and photos to real-world scale.

• Measure a PDF plan to scale
  Import a PDF drawing, set its scale from a printed ratio or a known length, and measure.
• Measure from a photo
  Calibrate on something of known size in a photo, then measure anything on the same surface.
• Measure a floor plan online
  Open a floor plan in your browser, set the scale and read off lengths and areas.
• Work out a room's area from a plan
  Square metres or square feet from a floor plan, including L-shaped rooms.
• Find the scale of a drawing
  No scale bar? Work it out from one dimension you know.
• Measure a PDF on iPad or iPhone
  Measure drawings on the go, in Safari, with nothing to install.
• Drawing scales explained: 1:50, 1:100, 1:200
  What the ratios mean, and why paper size matters.
• Measure a garden from a satellite image
  Fences, lawns and patios from an aerial photo or map screenshot.
• How much flooring do I need?
  Measure the area from a plan and add a sensible allowance for cuts.
• Measure plans in feet and inches
  Imperial plans and measurements, without converting by hand.
• Measure a planning application drawing
  Check sizes on a neighbour's extension or your own plans.
• Measure an estate agent's floor plan
  Furniture planning from a listing's floor plan.
• An online scale ruler
  Read any scale, on screen, without the triangular ruler.
• Plan a kitchen layout to scale
  Units, appliances and gaps, drawn at exact sizes over your plan.