Miniature Scale Calculator
Convert real-world dimensions to miniature scale for painting and terrain building.
About this calculator
This calculator converts a real-world height into the physical size a miniature figure should be sculpted or printed at, using the ratio system common to tabletop wargaming and RPG scales. Scale ratio expresses how many real-world units correspond to one miniature unit -- a 1:56 ratio (the '28mm Heroic' scale most D&D and wargaming miniatures use) means every 56 inches of real height becomes 1 inch of miniature height, while a true 1:72 or 1:35 scale used in military modeling divides more finely, producing a physically smaller figure for the same real-world subject. Mini Height is calculated by converting your entered real-world height (feet and inches) to millimeters, then dividing by the scale ratio -- a straightforward linear conversion where doubling real height exactly doubles miniature height at any fixed scale, and choosing a larger scale ratio number produces a smaller physical miniature since you're dividing by a bigger number.
The Height/Base Ratio compares miniature height to base diameter, which matters for miniature stability and genre convention: humanoid figures typically look and balance correctly at roughly 3-5x their base diameter in height, and a miniature that's disproportionately tall for its base is prone to tipping and looks visually off next to properly-proportioned figures on the table. Grid Squares (5ft) converts the real-world height into how many squares a creature occupies on the standard tabletop grid convention where 1 inch equals 5 feet, which is a separate calculation from physical miniature size and is useful for confirming a large or huge creature's footprint on the battle map independent of which miniature scale you're painting it at.
Inputs
Results
Mini Height
32.7 mm
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the real-world creature size as Real Height (feet) and Real Height (inches) — e.g. a 6-foot-tall human.
- Select the target Scale Ratio: 28mm Heroic, 32mm, 15mm, 10mm, 6mm, 1:72, or 1:35.
- Enter Base Diameter to check how the model's height compares to its base — 25mm, 40mm, and 50mm are standard sizes.
- Review Mini Height in millimeters and inches for the scaled figure.
- Use Grid Squares (5ft) to confirm how many squares the creature occupies on a standard battle grid.
How the result changes with Real Height (feet)
| Real Height (feet) | Mini Height |
|---|---|
| 3 | 16.3 mm |
| 4.5 | 24.5 mm |
| 9 | 49 mm |
| 15 | 81.6 mm |
What each input means
- Real Height (feet)
- Real-world height in feet (e.g. 6 for a human).
- Real Height (inches)
- Additional inches (e.g. 6 ft 2 in = 6 and 2).
- Scale Ratio
- Common miniature wargaming and RPG scales.
- Base Diameter
- Standard bases: 25mm (medium), 40mm (large), 50mm (huge).
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersReal Height (feet) = 6, Real Height (inches) = 0, Scale Ratio = 56, Base Diameter = 25 = 4 input(s) provided
- Calculate Mini HeightMini Height32.7 = 32.7
- Calculate Mini Height (inches)Mini Height1.29 = 1.29
- Calculate 1 Real Foot =1 Real Foot =5.4 = 5.4
Engine last updated . Checked against 1 independently-derived test — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a 1:72 scale produce a smaller miniature than 1:56?
Scale ratio is the divisor in the miniature-height formula, so a larger ratio number divides the real-world height by more, producing a physically smaller result -- 1:72 divides real height into 72 equal parts while 1:56 only divides it into 56, so the same real-world subject comes out smaller at 1:72. This is exactly why 1:72 scale is associated with smaller, more delicate military models while the 28mm Heroic 1:56 scale used in D&D and most wargaming produces noticeably chunkier, easier-to-detail figures.
Does changing the base diameter affect the miniature's actual height?
No -- Base Diameter only affects the Height/Base Ratio output, which measures how tall the miniature is relative to its base, not the miniature's actual scaled height itself. Mini Height is determined entirely by the real-world height inputs and the chosen scale ratio; the base is a separate physical component you select afterward based on the creature's footprint and stability needs, most commonly 25mm for medium creatures, 40mm for large, and 50mm for huge.
What's a normal Height/Base Ratio for a humanoid miniature?
Most commercially produced humanoid miniatures fall in roughly the 3-5x range for height relative to base diameter, which balances a stable footprint against a proportionally accurate figure -- much lower than that and the miniature looks squat or the base looks oversized, much higher and the figure becomes top-heavy and prone to tipping over on the table. Non-humanoid creatures like mounted riders, quadrupeds, or sprawling monsters routinely fall well outside this range because their proportions and stability needs are genuinely different.
How is Grid Squares (5ft) different from the miniature's physical scale?
Grid Squares (5ft) is a completely separate calculation from Mini Height -- it converts your entered real-world height directly into how many 5-foot squares the creature occupies on a standard tabletop battle grid, independent of whatever painting or terrain scale you've selected for the physical miniature. A creature's grid footprint is a rules convention set by the game system, while the miniature's physical size on the table is a hobby choice, and this calculator gives you both from the same real-world height input.
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