The mathematics behind this useful feature is that the sheets have an aspect ratio (that's the ratio of the length to the width) of the square root of 2.
A-SIZES
The dimensions of the A series paper sizes, as defined by ISO 216, are given in the table below in both millimetres and inches (cm measurements can be obtained by dividing mm value by 10). The A Series paper size chart to the right gives a visual explanation of how the sizes relate to each other - for example A5 is half of A4 size paper and A2 is half of A1 size paper.
Paper sizes from 4A0-4A10
Size - Height x Width mm & inch
4A0 2378 x 1682 mm 93.6 x 66.2 in
2A0 1682 x 1189 mm 66.2 x 46.8 in
A0 1189 x 841 mm 46.8 x 33.1 in
A1 841 x 594 mm 33.1 x 23.4 in
A2 594 x 420 mm 23.4 x 16.5 in
A3 420 x 297 mm 16.5 x 11.7 in
A4 297 x 210 mm 11.7 x 8.3 in
A5 210 x 148 mm 8.3 x 5.8 in
A6 148 x 105 mm 5.8 x 4.1 in
A7 105 x 74 mm 4.1 x. 2.9 in
A8 74 x 52 mm 2.9 x 2.0 in
A9 52 x 37 mm 2.0 x 1.5 in
A10 37 x 26 mm 1.5 x 1.0 in
4A0 & 2A0 - The DIN 476 Oversize Formats
The paper sizes bigger than A0, 4A0 & 2A0, aren't formerly defined by ISO 216 but are commonly used for oversized paper. The origin of these formats is in the German DIN 476 standard, that was the original base document from which ISO 216 was derived.
A Series Paper Size Tolerances
ISO 216 specifies tolerances for the production of A series paper sizes as follows:
±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)
±3 mm (0.12 in) for any dimension above 600 mm (23.6 in)
A Series Paper Sizes Defined
The A series paper sizes are defined in ISO 216 by the following requirements:
The length divided by the width is 1.4142
The A0 size has an area of 1 square metre.
Each subsequent size A(n) is defined as A(n-1) cut in half parallel to its shorter sides.
The standard length and width of each size is rounded to the nearest millimetre.
International Usage
The A series paper sizes are now in common use throughout the world apart from in the US, Canada and parts of Mexico. The A4 size has become the standard business letter size in English speaking countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the UK, that used to use British Imperial sizes. In Europe the A paper sizes were adopted as the formal standard in the mid 20th century and from there they spread across the globe.
B-SIZES
The dimensions of the B series paper sizes, as defined by ISO 216, are given in the table below in both millimetres and inches (cm measurements can be obtained by dividing the mm value by 10). The B Series paper size chart to the right is a visual explanation of how the B paper sizes relate to each other.
B Series Paper Size Tolerances
ISO 216 specifies tolerances for the production of B series paper sizes in the same way as for A series paper sizes, the specific details of which are as follows:
±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)
±3 mm (0.12 in) for any dimension above 600 mm (23.6 in)
B Series Paper Sizes DefinitionThe B series paper sizes are defined in ISO 216 in the following way.
The B series paper sizes were created in order to provide paper sizes that weren't covered by the A series, but also use an aspect ratio of 1:root2. B sizes are defined as size B(n) being the geometric mean of size A(n) and size A(n-1). The Geometric Means of 2 numbers being the square root of the product of the two numbers.
C ENVELOPE SIZES
The dimensions of the C series envelope sizes, as defined by ISO 216, are given in the table below in both millimetres and inches (cm measurements can be obtained by dividing the mm value by 10). The diagrams to the right show the size of each of the envelopes when compared to a sheet of A4 paper. US & North American Envelope Sizes are not covered by ISO 216 and are covered on this page.
C Series Envelope Size Tolerances
Tolerances specified in ISO 216 for the C series envelope sizes are the same as for A & B series paper sizes and are as follows:
±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)
±3 mm (0.12 in) for any dimension above 600 mm (23.6 in)
C Series Envelope Size Definitions
C envelopes sizes are defined as the geometric mean of the A and B sizes with the same number i.e. C4 dimensions are the geometric mean of A4 and B4. This produces a size between the two that makes an envelope that will neatly hold the A series paper of the same size, thus a C4 envelope is perfect for an A4 sheet of paper unfolded.
It should be noted that C format envelopes also have an aspect ratio of 1:root2 and because of this an A4 sheet folded parallel to its shortest sides will fit in a C5 envelope and folded twice will fit a C6 envelope.
DL Envelope size
One of the most widely used business envelopes, the DL format does not fall under the C series sizes as it has a different aspect ratio. This envelope originated in Germany in the 1920's and was known as DIN Lang, but DL is now more commonly expanded to 'Dimension Lengthwise'. This size is defined in the ISO standards for envelope sizes, as the standard would have been remiss in omitting the most commonly used business envelope size.
The dimensions of DL are 110 x 220 mm (4⅓" x 8⅔") and as such the DL envelope will hold an A4 sheet of paper folded into 3 equal sections parallel to its shortest sides.
Despite complaints from manufacturers of automatic enveloping machines that it is slightly too small for reliable enveloping and the introduction of a C6/5 envelope at 114 x 229 mm, the original DL size continues to be most commonly used.
Dimensions Of RA & SRA Series Untrimmed Paper Sizes
The RA and SRA paper formats are defined by ISO 217 "Paper - Untrimmed Sizes" and cover untrimmed raw paper for commercial printing. The RA and SRA sizes are slightly larger than the corresponding A series sizes to allow for bleed on printed material that will be later trimmed to size, often for bound publication.
RA stands for "raw format A" and is conceptually defined as being 105% of the A series size, thus as A0 has an area of 1 square metre RA0 has an area of 1.05 square metres. SRA stands for "supplementary raw format A" and is conceptually defined as being 115% of the A series size, so a sheet of SRA0 paper has an area of 1.15 square metres. In reality the sizes for RA0, RA1, RA2, SRA0, SRA1 and SRA2 are rounded to the nearest centimetre and sizes for RA3, RA4, SRA3 and SRA4 are rounded to the nearest half centimetre.
Table of RA Untrimmed Paper Sizes RA0 to RA4
Table of SRA Untrimmed Paper Sizes SRA0 to SRA4
NEWSPAPER SIZES
Broadsheet Size
Dimensions: 750 x 600 mm (29.5" x 23.5")
Background
The term broadsheet derives from single sheets of political satire and ballads sold on the streets, which became popular after the British placed a tax on newspapers by the number of pages in 1712.
The broadsheet size for newspapers is becoming less popular and many titles are switching from broadsheet to tabloid.
In Australia and New Zealand the term broadsheet is used to refer to papers that are printed on A1 size paper (841 x 594 mm - 33.1" x 23.4").
Berliner
Dimensions: 470 mm × 315 mm (18.5" × 12.4")
Background
The Berliner format (also known as Midi) is commonly used by newspapers across Europe. Confusingly the title 'Berliner Zeitung', often referred to as just 'Berliner' is not printed in berliner size.
Dimensions: 470 mm × 315 mm (18.5" × 12.4")
Background
The Berliner format (also known as Midi) is commonly used by newspapers across Europe. Confusingly the title 'Berliner Zeitung', often referred to as just 'Berliner' is not printed in berliner size.
Tabloid Size
Dimensions: 430 x 280 mm (16.9" x 11.0")
The tabloid size is often referred to as being 'half the size of a broadsheet' however this is not strictly true as broadsheet is 750 x 600 mm (29.5" x 23.5")
Tabloid size is actually not very different from A3 and thus a transition to printing tabloids on an A2 sheet (remember that newspaper sizes are the size of the folded pages) would be sensible in the longer term.
Background
The word tabloid when referring to newspaper sizes comes from the style of journalism known as 'tabloid journalism' that compacted stories into short, easy to read and often exaggerated forms. Tabloid journalism itself got its name from the 'tabloid pills' marketed in the 1880's, that were the first highly compacted and easy to swallow pills commonly available.
The word tabloid when referring to newspaper sizes comes from the style of journalism known as 'tabloid journalism' that compacted stories into short, easy to read and often exaggerated forms. Tabloid journalism itself got its name from the 'tabloid pills' marketed in the 1880's, that were the first highly compacted and easy to swallow pills commonly available.
The tabloid size is widely used across the globe these days, with titles in the US, Russia, China, the UK, Canada, Australia, Brazil and many other countries using this format. Recently many established papers have changed from broadsheet size to tabloid size as it has proved more popular with readers.
Compact Size
This size is the same as tabloid. The term being coined when the 'quality' or 'high brow' press titles moved from the traditional broadsheet size to the smaller tabloid size, as they didn't want to be associated with the sensationalism of tabloid journalism.
Compact Size
This size is the same as tabloid. The term being coined when the 'quality' or 'high brow' press titles moved from the traditional broadsheet size to the smaller tabloid size, as they didn't want to be associated with the sensationalism of tabloid journalism.
Papersizes.org
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