Paper size

Many paper size standards conventions have existed at different times and in different countries. Today, the A and B series of ISO 216, which includes the commonly used A4 size, are the international standard used by almost every country. However, in many countries in the Americas as well as in the Philippines, the North American series of paper sizes such as 'Letter' is more prevalent.^[1]

Paper sizes affect writing paper, stationery, cards, and some printed documents. The international standard for envelopes is the C series of ISO 269.

International paper sizes[edit]

The international paper size standard is ISO 216. It is based on the German DIN 476 standard for paper sizes. ISO paper sizes are all based on a single aspect ratio of the square root of 2, or approximately 1:1.4142. There are different series, as well as several extensions.

The following international paper sizes are included in Cascading Style Sheets (CSS): A3, A4, A5, B4, B5.^[2]

A series[edit]

The base A0 size of paper is defined as having an area of 1 m² and a dimension ratio of 1 to √2, making the A0 paper size exactly ${\displaystyle {\sqrt[{4}]{2}}}$ m × ${\displaystyle {\frac {1}{\sqrt[{4}]{2}}}}$ m. Rounded to the nearest millimetre, that is 841 by 1,189 millimetres (33.1 in × 46.8 in).

Successive paper sizes in the series A1, A2, A3, and so forth, are defined by halving the preceding paper size across the larger dimension. This also effectively halves the area of each sheet. The most frequently used paper size is A4 measuring 210 by 297 millimetres (8.27 in × 11.7 in).

The significant advantage of this system is its scaling: if a sheet with an aspect ratio of √2 is divided into two equal halves parallel to its shortest sides, then the halves will again have an aspect ratio of √2. Folded brochures of any size can be made by using sheets of the next larger size, e.g. A4 sheets are folded to make A5 brochures. The system allows scaling without compromising the aspect ratio from one size to another—as provided by office photocopiers, e.g. enlarging A4 to A3 or reducing A3 to A4. Similarly, two sheets of A4 can be scaled down and fit exactly on 1 sheet without any cutoff or margins.

The behavior of the aspect ratio is easily proven: on a sheet of paper, let a be the long side and b be the short side; thus, a/b = √2. When the sheet of paper is folded in half widthwise, let c be the length of the new short side: c = a/2. If we take the ratio of the newly folded paper we have:

${\displaystyle {\frac {b}{c}}={\frac {b}{\frac {a}{2}}}={\frac {2}{\frac {a}{b}}}={\frac {2}{\sqrt {2}}}={\sqrt {2}}}$

Therefore, the aspect ratio is preserved for the new dimensions of the folded paper.

Weights are easy to calculate as well: a standard A4 sheet made from 80 g/m² paper weighs 5 g (as it is ​¹⁄₁₆ of an A0 page, measuring 1 m²), allowing one to easily compute the weight—and associated postage rate—by counting the number of sheets used.

The advantages of basing a paper size upon an aspect ratio of √2 were first noted in 1786 by the German scientist and philosopher Georg Christoph Lichtenberg.^[3] The formats that became A2, A3, B3, B4 and B5 were developed in France on proposition of the mathematician Lazare Carnot and published for judiciary purpose in 1798 during the French Revolution.^[4] Early in the 20th century, Dr Walter Porstmann turned Lichtenberg's idea into a proper system of different paper sizes. Porstmann's system was introduced as a DIN standard (DIN 476) in Germany in 1922, replacing a vast variety of other paper formats. Even today, the paper sizes are called "DIN A4" (IPA: [diːn.ʔaː.fiːɐ̯]) in everyday use in Germany and Austria.

The DIN 476 standard spread quickly to other countries. Before the outbreak of World War II, it had been adopted by the following countries:

During World War II, the standard was adopted by Uruguay (1942), Argentina (1943) and Brazil (1943), and afterwards spread to other countries:

By 1975, so many countries were using the German system that it was established as an ISO standard, as well as the official United Nations document format. By 1977, A4 was the standard letter format in 88 of 148 countries. Today the standard has been adopted by all countries in the world except the United States and Canada. In Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, and the Philippines, the US letter format is still in common use, despite their official adoption of the ISO standard.

B series[edit]

In addition to the A series, there is a less common B series. The area of B series sheets is the geometric mean of successive A series sheets. So, B1 is between A0 and A1 in size, with an area of 0.707 m² (​¹⁄_√2 m²). As a result, B0 is 1 metre wide, and other sizes in the B series are a half, a quarter or further fractions of a metre wide. While less common in office use, it is used for a variety of special situations. Many posters use B-series paper or a close approximation, such as 50 cm × 70 cm; B5 is a relatively common choice for books. The B series is also used for envelopes and passports. The B-series is widely used in the printing industry to describe both paper sizes and printing press sizes, including digital presses. B3 paper is used to print two US letter or A4 pages side by side using imposition; four pages would be printed on B2, eight on B1, etc.

C series[edit]

The C series is usually used for envelopes and is defined in ISO 269. The area of C series sheets is the geometric mean of the areas of the A and B series sheets of the same number; for instance, the area of a C4 sheet is the geometric mean of the areas of an A4 sheet and a B4 sheet. This means that C4 is slightly larger than A4, and slightly smaller than B4. The practical usage of this is that a letter written on A4 paper fits inside a C4 envelope, and both A4 and C4 paper fits inside a B4 envelope.

Some envelope formats with mixed sides from adjacent sizes (and thus an approximate aspect ratio of 2:1) are also defined in national adaptations of the ISO standard, e.g. DIN C6/C5 is 114 mm × 229 mm where the common side to C5 and C6 is 162 mm.

Overview: ISO paper sizes[edit]

ISO paper sizes in portrait view (with rounded inch values)

Format	A series[5]		B series[6]		C series[7]
Size	mm × mm	in × in	mm × mm	in × in	mm × mm	in × in
0	841 × 1189	33.1 × 46.8	1000 × 1414	39.4 × 55.7	917 × 1297	36.1 × 51.1
1	594 × 841	23.4 × 33.1	707 × 1000	27.8 × 39.4	648 × 917	25.5 × 36.1
2	420 × 594	16.5 × 23.4	500 × 707	19.7 × 27.8	458 × 648	18.0 × 25.5
3	297 × 420	11.7 × 16.5	353 × 500	13.9 × 19.7	324 × 458	12.8 × 18.0
4	210 × 297	8.27 × 11.7	250 × 353	9.84 × 13.9	229 × 324	9.02 × 12.8
5	148 × 210	5.83 × 8.27	176 × 250	6.93 × 9.84	162 × 229	6.38 × 9.02
6	105 × 148	4.13 × 5.83	125 × 176	4.92 × 6.93	114 × 162	4.49 × 6.38
7	74 × 105	2.91 × 4.13	88 × 125	3.46 × 4.92	81 × 114	3.19 × 4.49
8	52 × 74	2.05 × 2.91	62 × 88	2.44 × 3.46	57 × 81	2.24 × 3.19
9	37 × 52	1.46 × 2.05	44 × 62	1.73 × 2.44	40 × 57	1.57 × 2.24
10	26 × 37	1.02 × 1.46	31 × 44	1.22 × 1.73	28 × 40	1.10 × 1.57
i	${\displaystyle \left(\alpha _{A}\cdot 2^{-{\frac {i+1}{2}}}\right)\times \left(\alpha _{A}\cdot 2^{-{\frac {i}{2}}}\right),}$ ${\displaystyle \alpha _{A}=1000\,{\text{mm}}\cdot {\sqrt[{4}]{2}}}$		${\displaystyle \left(\alpha _{B}\cdot 2^{-{\frac {i+1}{2}}}\right)\times \left(\alpha _{B}\cdot 2^{-{\frac {i}{2}}}\right),}$ ${\displaystyle \alpha _{B}=1000\,{\text{mm}}\cdot {\sqrt {2}}}$		${\displaystyle \left(\alpha _{C}\cdot 2^{-{\frac {i+1}{2}}}\right)\times \left(\alpha _{C}\cdot 2^{-{\frac {i}{2}}}\right),}$ ${\displaystyle \alpha _{C}=1000\,{\text{mm}}\cdot {\sqrt[{8}]{8}}}$

The α variables are the distinct first terms in the three geometric progressions of the same common-ratio equal to the square root of two. Each of the three geometric progressions (corresponding to the three series A, B, C) is formed by all possible paper dimensions (length and width) of the series arranged in a decreasing order. This interesting arrangement of dimensions is also very useful - not only it forms a geometric progression with easy to remember formulae, it also has that each consecutive pair of values (like a sliding window of size 2) will automatically correspond to the dimensions of a standard paper format in the series.

The tolerances specified in the standard are

• ±1.5 mm (0.06 in) for dimensions up to 150 mm (5.9 in),
• ±2 mm (0.08 in) for lengths in the range 150 to 600 mm (5.9 to 23.6 in) and
• ±3 mm (0.12 in) for any dimension above 600 mm (23.6 in).

German extensions[edit]

The German standard DIN 476 was published on 18 August 1922 and is the original specification of the A, B and C sizes. In 1991, it was split into DIN 476-1 for the A and B formats on the one hand and 476-2 for the C series on the other hand. The former has been withdrawn in 2002 in favor of adopting the international standard as DIN EN ISO 216, but part 2 has been retained and was last updated in 2008.

The first and the second editions of DIN 476 from 1922 and 1925 also included a D series.

DIN D series paper sizes in portrait view (with rounded inch values)

Format	D series
Size	mm × mm	in × in
0	771 × 1090	30.4 × 42.9
1	545 × 771	21.5 × 30.4
2	385 × 545	15.2 × 21.5
3	272 × 385	10.7 × 15.2
4	192 × 272	7.56 × 10.7
5	136 × 192	5.35 × 7.56
6	096 × 136	3.78 × 5.35
7	068 × 096	2.68 × 3.78
8	048 × 068	1.89 × 2.68

The smallest formats specified originally were A13, B13, C8 and D8.

DIN 476:1922 tiny formats (with rounded inch values)

Format	A		B
Size	mm × mm	in × in	mm × mm	in × in
11	18 × 26	0.71 × 1.02	22 × 31	0.87 × 1.22
12	13 × 18	0.51 × 0.71	15 × 22	0.59 × 0.87
13	09 × 13	0.35 × 0.51	11 × 15	0.43 × 0.59

DIN 476 provides for formats larger than A0, denoted by a prefix factor. In particular, it lists the formats 2A0 and 4A0, which are twice and four times the size of A0 respectively. However, ISO 216:2007 notes 2A0 and 4A0 in the table of Main series of trimmed sizes (ISO A series) as well: "The rarely used sizes [2A0 and 4A0] which follow also belong to this series."

DIN 476 overformats (with rounded inch values)

Name	mm × mm	in × in
4A0	1682 × 2378	66.22 × 93.62
2A0	1189 × 1682	46.81 × 66.22

DIN 476 also used to specify slightly tighter tolerances than ISO 216:

• ±1 mm (0.04 in) for dimensions up to 150 mm (5.9 in),
• ±1.5 mm (0.06 in) for lengths in the range 150 mm to 600 mm (5.9 to 23.6 in) and
• ±2 mm (0.08 in) for any dimension above 600 mm (23.6 in).

Swedish extensions[edit]

The Swedish standard SIS 014711^[8] generalized the ISO system of A, B, and C formats by adding D, E, F, and G formats to it. Its D format sits between a B format and the next larger A format (just like C sits between A and the next larger B). The remaining formats fit in between all these formats, such that the sequence of formats A4, E4, C4, G4, B4, F4, D4, H4, A3 is a geometric progression, in which the dimensions grow by a factor ¹⁶√2 from one size to the next. However, this SIS standard does not define any size between a D format and the next larger A format (called H in the previous example).

Of these additional formats, G5 (169 × 239 mm) and E5 (155 × 220 mm) are popular in Sweden and the Netherlands for printing dissertations,^[9] but the other formats have not turned out to be particularly useful in practice and they have not been adopted internationally.

The Swedish and German D series basically contain the same sizes, but are offset by one, i.e. DIN D4 equals SIS D5 and so on.

SIS 014711 formulas,^[10] including hypothetical H series, n = 0…9, r = ⁸√2, s = ​¹⁄_√2

Designation	Longer edge	Shorter edge
(Hn)	r+5½ × sn	r+1½ × sn
Dn	r+5 × sn	r+1 × sn
Fn	r+4½ × sn	r+½ × sn
Bn	r+4 × sn	r 0 × sn
Gn	r+3½ × sn	r−½ × sn
Cn	r+3 × sn	r−1 × sn
En	r+2½ × sn	r−1½ × sn
An	r+2 × sn	r−2 × sn

Japanese B-series variant[edit]

The JIS defines two main series of paper sizes. The JIS A-series is identical to the ISO A-series, but with slightly different tolerances. The area of B-series paper is 1.5 times that of the corresponding A-paper (instead of the factor √2 = 1.414... for the ISO B-series), so the length ratio is approximately 1.22 times the length of the corresponding A-series paper. The aspect ratio of the paper is the same as for A-series paper. Both A- and B-series paper is widely available in Japan, Taiwan and China, and most photocopiers are loaded with at least A4 and either one of A3, B4 and B5 paper.

There are also a number of traditional paper sizes, which are now used mostly by printers. The most common of these old series are the Shiroku-ban and the Kiku paper sizes.

JIS paper sizes (plus rounded inch values)

Format	B series		Shiroku ban		Kiku
Size	mm × mm	in × in	mm × mm	in × in	mm × mm	in × in
0	1030 × 1456	40.55 × 57.32
1	728 × 1030	28.66 × 40.55
2	515 × 728	20.28 × 28.66
3	364 × 515	14.33 × 20.28
4	257 × 364	10.12 × 14.33	264 × 379	10.39 × 14.92	227 × 306	8.94 × 12.05
5	182 × 257	7.17 × 10.12	189 × 262	7.44 × 10.31	151 × 227	5.94 × 8.94
6	128 × 182	5.04 × 7.17	127 × 188	5.00 × 7.40
7	91 × 128	3.58 × 5.04
8	64 × 91	2.52 × 3.58
9	45 × 64	1.77 × 2.52
10	32 × 45	1.26 × 1.77
11	22 × 32	0.87 × 1.26
12	16 × 22	0.63 × 0.87

Following Japanese paper sizes are included in Cascading Style Sheets (CSS): JIS-B4, JIS-B5.^[2]

Chinese extensions[edit]

The Chinese standard GB/T 148-1997^[11], which replaced GB 148-1989, documents the standard ISO series, A and B, but adds a custom D series. This Chinese format originates from the Republic of China (1912–49). The D series is not identical to the Swedish D series. It does not strictly follow the same principles as ISO paper sizes: The aspect ratio is only very roughly √2. The short side of a size is always 4 mm longer than the long side of the next smaller size. The long side of a size is always exactly – i.e. without further rounding – twice as long as the short side of the next smaller size.

SAC paper sizes (with rounded inch values and raw sizes)

Format	D series		Aspect ratio	Alias	Untrimmed sizes
Size	mm × mm	in × in			mm × mm	in × in
0	764 × 1064	29.9 × 41.9	1.3927	1K	787 × 1092	31.0 × 43.0
1	532 × 760	20.9 × 29.9	1.4286	2K	546 × 787	21.5 × 31.0
2	380 × 528	15.0 × 20.8	1.3895	4K	393 × 546	15.5 × 21.5
3	264 × 376	10.4 × 14.8	1.4242	8K	273 × 393	10.7 × 15.5
4	188 × 260	7.4 × 10.2	1.3830	16K	196 × 273	7.7 × 10.7
5	130 × 184	5.1 × 7.2	1.4154	32K	136 × 196	5.4 × 7.7
6	92 × 126	3.6 × 5.0	1.3696	64K	98 × 136	3.9 × 5.4

Soviet variants[edit]

The general adaptation of ISO 216 in the Soviet Union was GOST 9327-60. In its 1960 version, it lists formats down to A13, B12 and C8 and also specifies ½, ¼ and ⅛ prefixes for halving the shorter side (repeatedly), e.g. ½A4 = 105 mm × 297 mm.

A standard for technical drawings from 1960, GOST 3450-60^[12], introduces alternative numeric format designations to deal with very high or very wide sheets. These 2-digit codes are based upon A4 = "11": The first digit is the factor the longer side (297 mm) is multiplied by and the second digit is the one for the shorter side (210 mm), so "24" is 2×297 mm × 4×210 mm = 594 mm × 840 mm.

Soviet formats with multiplied shorter side (mm×mm)

n	(×1)	×2	×3	×4	×5	×6
A0	841×1189	1682×1189	2523×1189	3364×1189	4204×1189	5045×1189
A1	594×841	= A0	1784×841	2378×841	2973×841	3568×841
A2	420×594	= A1	1261×595	1682×595	2102×595	2523×595
A3	297×420	= A2	892×420	1189×420	1487×420	1784×420
A4	210×297	= A3	631×297	841×297	1051×297	1261×297
A5	148×210	= A4	446×210	595×210	743×210	892×210

GOST 3450-60 was replaced 8 years later by ESKD GOST 2301-68^[13], but the numeric designations remained in popular use much longer. The new designations were not purely numeric, but consisted of the ISO label followed by an 'x', or possibly the multiplication sign '×', and the factor, e.g. DIN 2A0 = GOST A0×2, but DIN 4A0 ≠ GOST A0×4, also listed are: A0×3, A1×3, A1×4, A2×3–A2×5, A3×3–A3×7, A4×3–A4×9. The formats …×1 and …×2 usually would be aliases for existing formats.

North American paper sizes[edit]

Loose sizes[edit]

North American paper sizes

Size	in × in	mm × mm	Aspect ratio
Letter	​8 1⁄2 × 11	216 × 279	1.2941…
Legal	​8 1⁄2 × 14	216 × 356	1.6470…
Tabloid	11 × 17	279 × 432	1.54
Ledger[14]	17 × 11	432 × 279	0.6470…
Junior Legal	5 × 8	127 × 203	1.6
Half Letter, Memo	​5 1⁄2 × ​8 1⁄2	140 × 216	1.54
Government Letter	8 × ​10 1⁄2	203 × 267	1.3125
Government Legal	​8 1⁄2 × 13	216 × 330	1.5294…

The United States, Canada, and the Philippines^[1] primarily use a different system of paper sizes compared to the rest of the world. The current standard sizes are unique to those countries, although due to the size of the North American market and proliferation of both software and printing hardware from the region, other parts of the world have become increasingly familiar with these sizes (though not necessarily the paper itself). Some traditional North American inch-based sizes differ from the Imperial British sizes described below.

Common loose sizes[edit]

Letter, Legal and Ledger/Tabloid are by far the most commonly used of these for everyday activities, and the only ones included in Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).

The origins of the exact dimensions of Letter size paper (8 ¹⁄₂ in × 11 in or 216 mm × 279 mm) are lost in tradition and not well documented. The American Forest and Paper Association argues that the dimension originates from the days of manual paper making, and that the 11-inch length of the page is about a quarter of "the average maximum stretch of an experienced vatman's arms."^[15] However, this does not explain the width or aspect ratio.

Outside of North America, Letter size may also be known as "American Quarto".^[16] If one accepts some trimming, the size is indeed one quarter of the old Imperial paper size known as Demy, 17 ¹⁄₂ in × 22 ¹⁄₂ in (444 mm × 572 mm).^[17]

Usage and adoption[edit]

Latin-American inch-based paper sizes^{[need quotation to verify]}

Size	Equivalent	mm × mm	in × in	Ratio
Carta	Letter, ANSI A	216 × 279	8½ × 11	1.2916
Oficio, Folio	Government Legal	216 × 330	8½ × 13	1.527
Extra Tabloide	Arch B	305 × 457	12 × 18	1.5

US paper sizes are currently standard in the United States and are the most commonly used formats at least in the Philippines, most of Mesoamerica^[18] and Chile. The latter use US Letter, but their Legal size is one inch shorter than its US equivalent.^[19]

Mexico and Colombia, for instance, have adopted the ISO standard, but US Letter format is still the system in use throughout the country. It is virtually impossible to encounter ISO standard papers in day-to-day uses, with Carta (Letter), Oficio (Government-Legal) and Doble carta (Ledger/Tabloid) being nearly universal.

In Canada, US paper sizes are a de facto standard. The government, however, also uses ISO paper sizes.

Variant loose sizes[edit]

There is an additional paper size, 8 in × 10 ¹⁄₂ in (203 mm × 267 mm), to which the name Government-Letter was given by the IEEE Printer Working Group (PWG). It was prescribed by Herbert Hoover when he was Secretary of Commerce to be used for US government forms, apparently to enable discounts from the purchase of paper for schools, but more likely due to the standard use of trimming books (after binding) and paper from the standard letter size paper to produce consistency and allow "bleed" printing. In later years, as photocopy machines proliferated, citizens wanted to make photocopies of the forms, but the machines did not generally have this size paper in their bins. Ronald Reagan therefore had the US government switch to regular Letter size, which is both half an inch longer and wider.^[15] The former government size is still commonly used in spiral-bound notebooks, for children's writing and the like, a result of trimming from the current Letter dimensions.

By extension of the American standards, the halved Letter size, 5 ¹⁄₂ in × 8 in (140 mm × 203 mm), meets the needs of many applications. It is variably known as Statement, Stationery, Memo, Half Letter, Half A (from ANSI sizes) or simply Half Size. Like the similar-sized ISO A5, it is used for everything from personal letter writing to official aeronautical maps. Organizers, notepads, and diaries also often use this size of paper; thus 3-ring binders are also available in this size. Booklets of this size are created using word processing tools with landscape printing in two columns on letter paper which are then cut or folded into the final size.

Standardized American paper sizes[edit]

In 1996, the American National Standards Institute adopted ANSI/ASME Y14.1 which defined a regular series of paper sizes based upon the de facto standard 8 ¹⁄₂ in × 11 in (216 mm × 279 mm) Letter size which it assigned "ANSI A", intended for technical drawings, hence sometimes labeled "Engineering". This series is somewhat similar to the ISO standard in that cutting a sheet in half would produce two sheets of the next smaller size and therefore also includes Ledger/Tabloid as "ANSI B". Unlike the ISO standard, however, the arbitrary base sides forces this series to have two alternating aspect ratios. For example, ANSI A is less elongated than A4, while ANSI B is more elongated than A3.

The Canadian standard CAN2-9.60-M76 and its successor CAN/CGSB-9.60-94 "Paper Sizes for Correspondence" specified paper sizes P1 through P6, which are the ANSI paper sizes rounded to the nearest 5 mm.^[20] All custom Canadian paper size standards were withdrawn in 2012 and the respective ISO standards took their places.

Canadian custom paper size standards

Title	Original	Release	Replacement	Release	Withdrawal
Paper Sizes for Correspondence	CAN2-9.60-M76	1976-04	CAN/CGSB-9.60-94	1994-07	2012-04
Paper Sizes for Printing	CAN2-9.61-M76	1976-04	CAN/CGSB-9.61-94	1994-07	2012-04
Paper Sizes for Single Part Continuous Business Forms	CAN2-9.62-81	1981-12	CAN/CGSB-9.62-94	1994-07	2012-04
Drawing Sheet Sizes	CAN2-9.64-M79	1979-04	CAN/CGSB-9.64-94	1994-07	2012-04
Common Image Area for Paper Sizes P4 and A4	CAN2-200.2-M79	1979-04			2012-03

With care, documents can be prepared so that the text and images fit on either ANSI or their equivalent ISO sheets at 1:1 reproduction scale.

ANSI and CAN paper sizes

US size	in × in	mm × mm	Ratio	Canadian size (mm × mm)		Similar size (mm × mm)
N/A				CAN P6	107 × 140	ISO A6	105 × 148
N/A				CAN P5	140 × 215	ISO A5	148 × 210
ANSI A	​8 1⁄2 × 11	216 × 279	1.2941	CAN P4	215 × 280	ISO A4	210 × 297
ANSI B	11 × 17	279 × 432	1.5455	CAN P3	280 × 430	ISO A3	297 × 420
ANSI C	17 × 22	432 × 559	1.2941	CAN P2	430 × 560	ISO A2	420 × 594
ANSI D	22 × 34	559 × 864	1.5455	CAN P1	560 × 860	ISO A1	594 × 841
ANSI E	34 × 44	864 × 1118	1.2941	N/A		ISO A0	841 × 1187

Other, informal, larger sizes continuing the alphabetic series illustrated above exist, but they are not part of the series per se, because they do not exhibit the same aspect ratios. For example, Engineering F size is 28 in × 40 in or 711 mm × 1,016 mm with ca. 1.4286:1; it is commonly required for NAVFAC drawings, but is generally less commonly used. Engineering G size is 22 ¹⁄₂ in (572 mm) high, but it is a roll format with a variable width up to 90 in (2,286 mm) in increments of 8 ¹⁄₂ in (216 mm). Engineering H through N sizes are also roll formats.

Such huge sheets were at one time used for full-scale layouts of aircraft parts, automotive parts, wiring harnesses and the like, but are slowly being phased out, due to widespread use of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). Some visual arts fields also continue to use these paper formats for large-scale printouts, such as for displaying digitally painted character renderings at life-size as references for makeup artists and costume designers, or to provide an immersive landscape reference.

Architectural sizes[edit]

In addition to the system as listed above, there is a corresponding series of paper sizes used for architectural purposes defined in the same standard, ANSI/ASME Y14.1, which is usually abbreviated "Arch". This series also shares the property that bisecting each size produces two of the size below, with alternating aspect ratios. It may be preferred by North American architects because the aspect ratios (4:3 and 3:2) are ratios of small integers, unlike their ANSI (or ISO) counterparts. Furthermore, the aspect ratio 4:3 matches the traditional aspect ratio for computer displays.

The size Arch E1 has a different aspect ratio because it derives from adding 6 inches to each side of Arch D or subtracting the same amount from Arch E. An intermediate size between Arch C and D with a long side of 30 inches (760 mm) does not exist.

US architectural standard paper sizes^[21]

Names		in × in	mm × mm	Ratio
Arch A	Arch 1	9 × 12	229 × 305	3:4
Arch B	Arch 2	12 × 18	305 × 457	2:3
Arch C	Arch 3	18 × 24	457 × 610	3:4
Arch D	Arch 4	24 × 36	610 × 914	2:3
Arch E1	Arch 5	30 × 42	762 × 1067	5:7
Arch E	Arch 6	36 × 48	914 × 1219	3:4
Arch E2[need quotation to verify]		26 × 38	660 × 965	13:19
Arch E3[need quotation to verify]		27 × 39	686 × 991	9:13

Other sizes[edit]

This table may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: some entries repeat sizes defined elsewhere, some specify mere aliases, others are unsourced and there is no explanatory prose. Please help improve this table if you can. (July 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Assorted sizes^{[need quotation to verify]}

Name	in × in	mm × mm	Ratio
Organizer J	​2 3⁄4 × 5	70 × 127	≈1.8142
Marching band flip-folder	​6 3⁄4 × ​5 1⁄4	171 × 133	≈1.2857
Choral Octavo	​6 3⁄4 × ​10 1⁄2	171 × 267	≈1.55
Fanfold 12 × 8.5	​8 1⁄2 × 12	216 × 304	≈1.4118
US Std Fanfold	11 × ​14 7⁄8	279 × 377	≈1.3513

Notebook sizes[edit]

The sizes listed above are for paper sold loose in reams. There are many sizes of tablets of paper, that is, sheets of paper bound at one edge, usually by a strip of plastic or hardened PVA adhesive. Often there is a pad of cardboard (also known as chipboard or greyboard) at the bottom of the stack. Such a tablet serves as a portable writing surface, and the sheets often have lines printed on them, usually in non-repro blue, to make writing in a line easier. An older means of binding is to have the sheets stapled to the cardboard along the top of the tablet; there is a line of perforated holes across every page just below the top edge from which any page may be torn off. Lastly, a pad of sheets each weakly stuck with adhesive to the sheet below, trademarked as "Post-It" or "Stick-Em" and available in various sizes, serve as a sort of tablet.

"Letter pads" are 8 ¹⁄₂ by 11 inches (215.9 by 279.4 mm), while the term "legal pad" is often used by laymen to refer to pads of various sizes including those of 8 ¹⁄₂ by 14 inches (215.9 by 355.6 mm). There are "steno pads" (used by stenographers) of 6 by 9 inches (152.4 by 228.6 mm).

In countries where the ISO sizes are standard, most notebooks and tablets are sized to ISO specifications (for example, most newsagents in Australia stock A4 and A3 tablets).

Office sizes[edit]

US personal organizers (Rounded Inches)

Company	Name	in × in	mm × mm	Holes
Filofax[22]	M2	​2 1⁄2 × 4	64 × 103	3 holes
	Mini	​2 5⁄8 × ​4 1⁄8	67 × 105	5 holes
	Pocket	​3 1⁄6 × ​4 3⁄4	81 × 120	6 holes
	Personal, Slimline	​3 3⁄4 × ​6 3⁄4	95 × 171	6 holes
	A5	(513/16 × 89/32)	148 × 210	6 holes
	Deskfax (B5)	(615/16 × 927/32)	176 × 250	9 holes
	A4	(89/32 × 1111/16)	210 × 297	4 holes
Franklin Planner[23]	Micro (⅛-Letter)	​2 5⁄8 × ​4 1⁄4	67 × 108
	Pocket	​3 1⁄2 × 6	89 × 152
	Compact	​4 1⁄4 × ​6 3⁄4	108 × 171
	Classic (½-Letter)	​5 1⁄2 × ​8 1⁄2	140 × 216
	Monarch (Letter)	​8 1⁄2 × 11	216 × 280
Jeppesen	Aeronautical Chart (½-Letter)	​5 1⁄2 × ​8 1⁄2	140 × 216	7 holes
FAA				3 holes at top

US Index and business cards

Name	in × in	mm × mm	Ratio
Index card	3 × 5	76 × 127	1.6
	4 × 6	102 × 152	1.5
	5 × 8	127 × 203	1.6
International business card	​2 1⁄8 × 3.37	53.98 × 85.6	1.586
US business card	2 × ​3 1⁄2	51 × 89	1.75
Japanese business card	ca. ​2 1⁄6 × ​3 1⁄2	55 × 91	1.654
Hungarian business card	ca. 2 × ​3 1⁄2	50 × 90	1.8

The international business card has the same size as the smallest rectangle containing a credit card. However, credit card size, as defined in ISO/IEC 7810, also specifies rounded corners and thickness.

Photography sizes[edit]

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US photographic paper sizes

Name	in × in	mm × mm	Ratio
2R	​2 1⁄2 × ​3 1⁄2	64 × 89	1.4
-	3 × 5	76 × 127	1.6
LD, DSC	​3 1⁄2 × ​4 2⁄3	89 × 119	1.3 (4:3)
3R, L	​3 1⁄2 × 5	89 × 127	≈1.4286
LW	​3 1⁄2 × ​5 1⁄4	89 × 133	1.5 (3:2)
KGD	4 × ​5 1⁄3	102 × 136	1.3 (4:3)
4R, KG	4 × 6	102 × 152	1.5 (3:2)
2LD, DSCW	5 × ​6 2⁄3	127 × 169	1.3 (4:3)
5R, 2L	5 × 7	127 × 178	1.4
2LW	5 × ​7 1⁄2	127 × 190	1.5 (3:2)
6R	6 × 8	152 × 203	1.3 (4:3)
8R, 6P	8 × 10	203 × 254	1.25
S8R, 6PW	8 × 12	203 × 305	1.5 (3:2)
11R	11 × 14	279 × 356	1.27
A3+, Super B	13 × 19	330 × 483	≈1.46154

Postage sizes[edit]

US Postal postcard size limitations^[24]

Dimension	Minimum (inch)	Maximum (inch)
Height	​3 1⁄2	​4 1⁄4
Width	5	6
Thickness	0.007	0.016

This implies that all postcards have a width:height aspect ratio in the range 1.18 to 1.71. The only ISO 216 size in the post card range is A6.

Grain[edit]

Most industry standards express the direction of the grain last when giving dimensions (that is, 17 × 11 inches is short grain paper and 11 × 17 inches is long grain paper), although alternatively the grain alignment can be explicitly indicated with an underline (11 × 17 is short grain) or the letter "M" for "machine" (11M × 17 is short grain). Grain is important because paper will crack if folded across the grain: for example, if a sheet 17 × 11 inches is to be folded to divide the sheet into two 8.5 × 11 halves, then the grain will be along the 11-inch side.^[25] Paper intended to be fed into a machine that will bend the paper around rollers, such as a printing press, photocopier or typewriter, should be fed grain side first so that the axis of the rollers is along the grain.

Traditional inch-based paper sizes[edit]

Traditionally, a number of different sizes were defined for large sheets of paper, and paper sizes were defined by the sheet name and the number of times it had been folded. Thus a full sheet of "royal" paper was 25 × 20 inches, and "royal octavo" was this size folded three times, so as to make eight sheets, and was thus 10 × ​6 ¹⁄₄ inches.

Common divisions and their abbreviations

Name	Abbr.	Folds	Leaves	Pages
Folio	fo, f	1	2	4
Quarto	4to	2	4	8
Sexto, sixmo	6to, 6mo	3	6	12
Octavo	8vo	3	8	16
Duodecimo, twelvemo	12mo	4	12	24
Sextodecimo, sixteenmo	16mo	4	16	32

Imperial sizes were used in the United Kingdom and its territories.

Imperial paper sizes

Name	Classic British definitions			Modern American adaptations
	in × in	mm × mm	Ratio	in × in	mm × mm	Ratio
Emperor	48 × 72	1219 × 1829	1.5
Quad demy				35 × 45	889 × 1143	1.2857
Antiquarian	31 × 53	787 × 1346	1.7097
Grand eagle	​28 3⁄4 × 42	730 × 1067	1.4609
Double elephant	​26 3⁄4 × 40	678 × 1016	1.4984
Atlas	26 × 34	660 × 864	1.3077
Colombier	​23 1⁄2 × ​34 1⁄2	597 × 876	1.4681
Double demy	​22 1⁄2 × ​35 1⁄2	572 × 902	1.57	​22 1⁄2 × 35	572 × 889	1.5
Imperial	22 × 30	559 × 762	1.3636
Double large post	21 × 33	533 × 838	1.5713
Elephant	23 × 28	584 × 711	1.2174	same
Princess	​21 1⁄2 × 28	546 × 711	1.3023
Cartridge	21 × 26	533 × 660	1.2381
Royal	20 × 25	508 × 635	1.25	same
Sheet, half post	​19 1⁄2 × ​23 1⁄2	495 × 597	1.2051
Double post	19 × ​30 1⁄2	483 × 762	1.6052
Super royal	19 × 27	483 × 686	1.4203
Broadsheet				18 × 24	457 × 610	1.3
Medium	​17 1⁄2 × 23	470 × 584	1.2425	18 × 23	457 × 584	1.27
Demy	​17 1⁄2 × ​22 1⁄2	445 × 572	1.2857	same
Copy draught	16 × 20	406 × 508	1.25
Large post	​15 1⁄2 × 20	394 × 508	1.2903	​16 1⁄2 × 21	419 × 533	1.27
Post	​15 1⁄2 × ​19 1⁄4	394 × 489	1.2419	​15 1⁄2 × ​19 1⁄2	394 × 489	1.2581
Crown	15 × 20	381 × 508	1.3	same
Pinched post	​14 3⁄4 × ​18 1⁄2	375 × 470	1.2533
Foolscap	​13 1⁄2 × 17	343 × 432	1.2593
Small foolscap	​13 1⁄4 × ​16 1⁄2	337 × 419	1.2453
Brief	​13 1⁄2 × 16	343 × 406	1.1852
Pott	​12 1⁄2 × 15	318 × 381	1.2
Quarto				9 × 11	229 × 279	1.2
Executive, Monarch				​7 1⁄4 × ​10 1⁄2	184 × 267	1.4483

Traditional British paper sizes[edit]

These sizes are no longer commonly used since the UK switched to ISO sizes.^[26] Many of these sizes were only used for making books (see bookbinding), and would never have been offered for ordinary stationery purposes.^[27]

Previous British writing paper sizes

Name	in × in	mm × mm	Ratio
Foolscap	8 × 13	203 × 330	1.625
Quarto	8 × 10	203 × 254	1.25
Imperial	7 × 9	178 × 229	1.2857
Kings	​6 1⁄2 × 8	165 × 203	1.2307
Dukes	​5 1⁄2 × 7	140 × 178	1.27

Foolscap folio is often referred to simply as "folio" or "foolscap". Similarly, "quarto" is more correctly "copy draught quarto" and "Kings" is an alias for "Foolscap quarto".

Demitab[edit]

The demitab or demi-tab (from the French "demi" or half tabloid) is 5 ¹⁄₂ in × 8 ¹⁄₂ in (140 mm × 216 mm), equal to one quarter of a sheet of 11 in × 17 in (279 mm × 432 mm) tabloid size paper. In actual circulation, the size 8 in × 10 ¹⁄₂ in (203 mm × 267 mm) is common for a demitab.^[28] Tabloid newspapers, which are "generally half the size of a broadsheet", also vary in size. To add to the lack of uniformity, broadsheets also vary in size.

Traditional French paper sizes[edit]

Before the adoption of the ISO standard system in 1967, France had its own paper size system. Some^[which?] of these formats are still used today, and they are standardized by the AFNOR.^[29] Their names come from the watermarks that the papers were branded with when they were handcrafted, which is still the case for certain art papers. They also generally exist in double versions where the smallest measure is multiplied by two, or in quadruple versions where both measures have been doubled.

AFNOR paper sizes

Name	Format (cm × cm)	Use
Cloche	30 × 40
Pot, écolier	31 × 40
Tellière	34 × 44	old French administration
Couronne écriture	36 × 46
Couronne édition	37 × 47
Roberto	39 × 50	anatomic drawing
Écu	40 × 52
Coquille	44 × 56
Carré	45 × 56
Cavalier	46 × 62
Demi-raisin	32,5 × 50	drawing
Raisin	50 × 65	drawing
Double raisin	65 × 100
Jésus	56 × 76	Atlas des sentiers et chemins vicinaux
Soleil	60 × 80
Colombier affiche	60 × 80
Colombier commercial	63 × 90
Petit Aigle	70 × 94
Grand Aigle	75 × 105	Plans cadastraux primitifs (Napoleonic land registry)
	75 × 106[30]
	75 × 110[31]
Grand Monde	90 × 126
Univers	100 × 130

Transitional paper sizes[edit]

PA4 or L4[edit]

Hypothetic PA4-based series

Name	mm × mm	Ratio
PA0	840 × 1120	3:4
PA1	560 × 840	2:3
PA2	420 × 560	3:4
PA3	280 × 420	2:3
PA4	210 × 280	3:4
PA5	140 × 210	2:3
PA6	105 × 140	3:4
PA7	70 × 105	2:3
PA8	52 × 70	≈3:4
PA9	35 × 52	≈2:3
PA10	26 × 35	≈3:4

A transitional size called PA4 (210 mm × 280 mm or 8.27 in × 11.02 in), sometimes dubbed L4, was proposed for inclusion into the ISO 216 standard in 1975. It has the height of Canadian P4 paper (215 mm × 280 mm, about ​8 ¹⁄₂ in × 11 in) and the width of international A4 paper (210 mm × 297 mm or 8.27 in × 11.69 in), i.e. it uses the smaller value among the two for each side. The table below, shows how this format can be generalized into an entire format series.

The PA formats did not end up in ISO 216, because the committee decided that the set of standardized paper formats should be kept to the minimum necessary.^{[citation needed]} However, PA4 remains of practical use today. In landscape orientation, it has the same 4:3 aspect ratio as the displays of traditional TV sets, some computer displays (e.g. iPad) and data projectors. PA4, with appropriate margins, is therefore a good choice as the format of presentation slides.

As a compromise between the two most popular paper sizes globally, PA4 is used today by many international magazines, because it can be printed easily on equipment designed for either A4 or US Letter. That means it is not as much a paper size than a page format.

The size 210 mm × 280 mm was documented in the Canadian standard CAN2-200.2-M79 "Common Image Area for Paper Sizes P4 and A4"^[32].

F4[edit]

Hypothetic F4-based series

Name	mm × mm	in × in	Ratio
F0	841 × 1321	33.1 × 52	1.5714
F1	660 × 841	26 × 33.1	1.27
F2	420 × 660	16.5 × 26	1.5714
F3	330 × 420	13 × 16.5	1.27
F4	210 × 330	8.27 × 13	1.5714
F5	165 × 210	6.5 × 8.27	1.27
F6	105 × 165	4.13 × ​6 1⁄2	1.5714
F7	82 × 105	​3 1⁄4 × 4.13	1.27
F8	52 × 82	2.05 × ​3 1⁄4	1.5714
F9	41 × 52	​3 5⁄8 × 2.05	1.27
F10	26 × 41	1.02 × ​3 5⁄8	1.5714

A non-standard F4 paper size is common in Southeast Asia. It is a transitional size with the shorter side from ISO A4 (210 mm) and the longer side from British Foolscap (13 in, 330 mm) and is sometimes known as (metric) foolscap or folio as well.

In Indonesia and Philippines, F4 paper is 215 × 330 mm (8.5 × 13 in). In Indonesia it is sometimes called Folio, while in Philippines it is sometimes also called Long Bond.

A sheet of F4 can be cut from a sheet of SRA4 with very little wastage. The size is also smaller than its Swedish equivalent SIS F4 at 239 mm × 338 mm.

A0a[edit]

Although the movement is towards the international standard metric paper sizes, on the way there from the traditional ones there has been at least one new size just a little larger than that used internationally.

British architects and industrial designers once used a size called "Antiquarian", 31 in × 53 in (787 mm × 1,346 mm), as listed above, but given in the New Metric Handbook (Tutt & Adler 1981) as 813 mm × 1,372 mm (32 in × 54 in) for board size. This is a little larger than ISO A0, 841 mm × 1189 mm. So for a short time, a size called A0a of 1,000 mm × 1,370 mm (39.4 in × 53.9 in) was used in Britain, which is actually just a slightly shorter version of ISO B0 at 1414 mm.

Pliego[edit]

Colombian metric paper sizes^{[citation needed]}

Size	mm × mm	aspect ratio
​1⁄8 pliego	250 × 350	1.4
​1⁄4 pliego	350 × 500	1.412857
​1⁄2 pliego	500 × 700	1.4
Pliego	700 × 1000	1.412857

The most common paper sizes used for commercial and industrial printing in Colombia are based upon a size referred to as pliego that is ISO B1 (707 mm × 1000 mm) cut to full decimetres. Smaller sizes are derived by halving as usual and just get a vulgar fraction prefix: ​¹⁄₂ pliego and ​¹⁄₄ pliego.

Other metric sizes[edit]

Envelope and insert sizes[edit]

Other DIN paper formats

Name	mm × mm	in × in	Ratio	Notes
​1⁄3A4	99 × 210	3.7 × 8.3	0.471	common flyer or stripe size
unnamed	105 × 210	4.1 × 8.3	1:2	standard folded size of A4 office letters according to DIN 5008 (previously DIN 676)
DL	110 × 220	4.3 × 8.7	1:2	"DIN lang" (DIN long),

DL is a common envelope size from DIN 678-1 often with 90 mm × 45 mm address window in the lower left, which also fits ​¹⁄₃A4 well. Sometimes, it is erroneously labeled "DLE" instead, the E apparently standing for "envelope".

Raw sizes[edit]

ISO 217 and ISO 5457 untrimmed sheet sizes

Name	mm × mm	in × in	Name	mm × mm	in × in	Name	mm × mm	in × in
RA0	860 × 1220	33.9 × 48.0	SRA0	900 × 1280	35.4 × 50.4	A0U	880 × 1230	34.6 × 48.4
RA1	610 × 860	24.0 × 33.9	SRA1	640 × 900	25.2 × 35.4	A1U	625 × 880	24.6 × 34.6
RA2	430 × 610	16.9 × 24.0	SRA2	450 × 640	17.7 × 25.2	A2U	450 × 625	17.7 × 24.6
RA3	305 × 430	12.0 × 16.9	SRA3	320 × 450	12.6 × 17.7	A3U	330 × 450	13.0 × 17.7
RA4	215 × 305	8.5 × 12.0	SRA4	225 × 320	8.9 × 12.6	A4U	240 × 330	9.4 × 13.0

Drawing paper[edit]

ISO 5457 specifies drawing paper sizes with a trimmed size equal to the A series sizes from A4 upward. The untrimmed sizes are 3 to 4 cm larger and rounded to the nearest centimeter. A0 through A3 are used in landscape orientation, while A4 is used in portrait orientation. Designations for preprinted drawing paper include the base sizes and a suffix, either T for trimmed or U for untrimmed sheets.

ISO 5457 drawing paper sizes (mm × mm)

Format	Trimmed sheet (T)	Drawing space	Untrimmed sheet (U)
A0	841 × 1189	821 × 1159	880 × 1230
A1	594 × 841	574 × 811	625 × 880
A2	420 × 594	400 × 564	450 × 625
A3	297 × 420	277 × 390	330 × 450
A4	210 × 297	180 × 277	240 × 330

Newspaper sizes[edit]

Newspapers have a separate set of sizes.

• Berliner
• Broadsheet
• Compact
• Rhenish
• Tabloid (newspaper format)

In a recent trend^[33] many newspapers have been undergoing what is known as "web cut down", in which the publication is redesigned to print using a narrower (and less expensive) roll of paper. In extreme examples, some broadsheet papers are nearly as narrow as traditional tabloids.

See also[edit]

• Book size
• Paper density
• Units of paper quantity – ream, quire etc.
• New Zealand standard for school stationery
• PC LOAD LETTER
• Hole punch – filing holes

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paper formats.

• Palme, Jacob (May 1998). Making Postscript and PDF International. IETF. doi:10.17487/RFC2346. RFC 2346. https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2346. Retrieved 2012-06-22.  — Notably: About margin settings for using just the space common to both A4 and US Letter.
• IEEE-ISTO PWG 5101.1-2013 "PWG Media Standardized Names 2.0" (PDF)
• Paper Sizes Explained by Matt Parker, BBC Number Hub (YouTube video)
• 'Paper thickness cross reference guide