Popular Scale Model Sizes

Under construction, more to add soon August 26, 2024

This page and the links from this page describe some of the most:

When you see this symbol ↵ clicking on it will return to this bulleted list.

What is the Scale of a Model
What Scale is Best for Your Application?
Popular Model Scale Sizes
Standard Lumber Sizes
How to Calculate Scale
Some Web Links

As model builders we know, or should know, all about the scale of the model and the process of scaling. Depending upon the type of modeling, there are dozens of different scale sizes that these models are available in. Understanding the different scales is not a mystery and is quite simple to understand; however, there can be situations where scaling could become tricky.

What is the Scale of a Model? ↵

The scale of a model is the ratio of all dimensions of the model compared to the equivalent dimensions of the full-size object. As an example, 1:24 scale means the model is 1/24th the size of the full-size object. Therefore, if the original object is 12.0 ft. (3,657.6 mm) the model will be 12.0 feet divided by 24 = 0.5 feet or 6.0" (152.4 mm).

What Scale is Best for Your Application? ↵

In my time as a novice modeler I notice that many modelers do not pay attention to scale. When building a kit from the box that is a one time build and will sit your self, scale is not important, except that the finished model will fit on the shelf. If a diorama is be used or built, then scale is important to keep everything in the correct perspective. So...the answer as to what scale to use depends on the application and your personal choice.

Popular Scale Model Sizes ↵

Here is a short list of the most popular scale ratios commonly used: This list came from the RDtrend website

Scale ratio	Sample of Model Types
1:4	Planes, steam trains, radio-controlled cars, ridable miniature trains, steam rollers, traction engines, plastic model engines, larger 18" (457 mm) collectable fashion dolls.
1:8	Cars, Motorcycles, Live steam trains (ridable), Miniature park, IC radio-controlled cars, Japanese garage kit figures, Aurora Classic Monster Kits, (rarely) aircraft kits such as World War I fighters by Hasegawa.
1:12	Cars, Motorcycles, and figurines. Action figures, Static and radio control Model cars, Live non-ridable steam trains, dolls houses for adult collectors, motorcycles, model horses in “Classic scale”.
1:16	Cars, Motorcycles, and figurines. Action figures, Static and radio control Model cars, Live non-ridable steam trains, dolls houses for adult collectors, motorcycles, model horses in “Classic scale”.
1:20	Cars, common for Formula One models.
1:22.5	G Scale trains from German manufacturers.
1:24	Cars, trucks, and large-scale planes. Largest main scale for model aircraft, such as those made by Airfix. Main scale for cars and figures. Die cast cars models manufactured by Danbury and Franklin Mint. American G Scale trains from Delton Mfg. and Aircraft Classics.
1:25	Cars and Trucks.
1:32	Aircraft, Auto, Boats, Cars, Figurines, Number 1 scale trains models.
1:35	Armour, Boats, Figurines, Armor, Diorama structures. This scale the most popular for military vehicles and figures. Frequently in models of armoured vehicles.
1:43	White-metal cars and trucks. Today the most popular scale for diecast cars worldwide.
1:48	Aircraft, Trucks, Cars, O scale trains, Military models, Mainly military aircraft, but in 2005 year Tamiya launched a new series of armored fighting vehicle models in this scale. It is the American O scale.
1:64	Aircraft, S scale trains. Ships, cars, die-cast cars. Hot Wheels and Matchbox use this scale to describe their cars and vehicles.
1:72	Aircraft and Boats. Aircraft, Space no fiction, Science fiction, Cars, Vehicles, Figures, and watercraft. Now the most prolific small scale , less than 1:35, for plastic injection armored fighting vehicle models, and too plastic model figurines and scale model vehicles and aircraft by companies such as Airfix.
1:76	OO scale trains. UK model rail scale. Military vehicles.
1:87	HO scale trains. Civilian vehicles, military vehicles. Often used to characterize HO scale.
1:96	1/8 scale Ships and aircraft. An historical models scale for ships, most used for spacecraft.
1:100	Aircraft models. Aircraft produced by Tamiya and Plasticart, military vehicles and ships by Zvezda. Kits of historical and present spacecraft. Japanese spacecraft, aircraft, and giant robots , Gundam master range.
1:125	Aircraft models.
1:144	Aircraft and ships models. W scale - especially Popular for ships, aircraft, rockets and spacecraft. Sometimes used with NASCAR cars. Also some Japanese N scale trains, as well as Japanese giant robot models (such as Gunpla) and toys.
1:160	American and European model trains in N scale.
1:192	1/16 scale ships models.
1:200	Z scale trains models . A scale used for high-end model aircraft and very detailed plastic and paper ships models.
1:350	Ships. Japanese size for ship models.
1:700	Ships. This is the scale has largest series of waterline plastic model ships and submarines. Full hull models are popular in that scale as well.
1:720	Ships. This was a basic size for ship models produced by Revell and Italeri but they have moved from it.


N Scale	N Scale is a very popular scale for model railroading. The scale varies from 1:148 to 1:160 depending upon the manufacturer and the country of origin. In all cases, the gauge, the distance between the two rails is 0.354" (9mm). The term N Gauge indicates the track dimensions; however, in the United Kingdom (UK), British N Gauge refers to a 1:148 scale with 1:160, 0.354" (9mm) track gauge modeling.
H0 or HO	H0 (H-Zero) or HO (H-Oh) is used for transport model railroading. This is the most popular scale in the world for model railroading. The scale is 1:87 (3.5mm to 1-foot).
O Scale	O scale or O Gauge is another very common scale for model railroading. The scale was introduced by the German model Manufacturer Märklin around 1900. By the 1930's the three-rail alternating current (AC) O Gauge was the most common railroading scale in the United States (US) and remained the most common until the 1960's.
G Scale	G Scale, also referred to as Large Scale is the track gauge for model railroading most often used for outdoor garden railways. It is 45mm or 13/4 inches.

Lumber Scale ↵

I tend to use real wood for the bed of most trucks that I build. I'm a stickler for making sure the lumber is, at least close to the actual lumber size. Following is a short list of some of the popular lumber sizes.

Nominal Size	Actual Size (inches)	Actual size (mm)
2" X 8" (50.8mm X 203.2mm)	1-1/2" X 7-1/4"	38mm X 184mm
2" X 10" (50.8mm X 254mm)	1-1/2" X 9-1/4"	38mm X 235mm
2" X 12" (50.8mm X 304.8mm)	1-1/2" X 11-1/4"	38mm X 286mm
4" X 4" (101.6mm X 101.6mm)	3-1/2" X 3-1/2"	89mm X 89mm
4" X 6" (101.6mm X 152.4mm)	3-1/2" X 5-1/2"	89mm X 140mm

How to Calculate Scale ↵

This section will show several examples of how to calculate scale. There are several websites that will calculate scale for you; however, I find that some of them do not perform the calculation accurately; therefore, here is a simple way to always get an accurate scale value.

Various Websites about Model Scale ↵