Scale Guide: Choosing 1:50 to 1:500 the Right Way

The scale determines the size and level of detail of your model. 1:100 is the standard for individual buildings, 1:50 shows fine façade details, and 1:200 to 1:500 is suited to developments and sites. This guide helps you choose the right scale for your purpose — before size or level of detail come as a surprise.

What the scale means

The scale is a ratio. 1:100 means: 1 centimetre on the model corresponds to 1 metre in reality. The larger the second number, the more reality is reduced — and the smaller and less detailed the model. A building 10 m tall becomes:

• 20 cm at 1:50
• 10 cm at 1:100
• 5 cm at 1:200
• 2 cm at 1:500

The scales in detail

1:50 — maximum fidelity

The scale for showpieces and presentations where the façade is what matters. Window profiles, railings, changes in material: all of this can be rendered cleanly. The downside: the model becomes large and needs space. Ideal for individual villas, pavilions or a striking structural element.

1:100 — the standard

The best compromise between detail and size for individual buildings. A typical detached house becomes a handy model of 10–15 cm. The massing, roof shape, openings and rough façade articulation are clearly recognisable. For house models, 1:100 is the most common choice.

1:200 — groups of buildings

When several buildings or a larger object are to be shown. Individual details recede, but the urban-planning context comes to the fore. Suitable for residential complexes, commercial properties and larger individual buildings.

1:500 — sites and districts

The scale for development plans, districts and industrial sites. Here it is the massing that counts, not the detail. An entire factory site fits onto a transportable base. Perfect for conveying the layout, routes and proportions of a location.

Scale by use case

Purpose	Recommended scale
Individual villa, façade study	1:50
Residential or detached house	1:100
Residential complex, commercial property	1:100 – 1:200
District, development plan	1:200 – 1:500
Industrial plant, factory site	1:200 – 1:500
Machine, trade fair exhibit	1:5 – 1:25

Level of detail and printing technique

Every print has a smallest structural width that can sensibly be rendered. Very fine elements — bar windows, thin railings, delicate pipework — reach this limit at small scales. From around 1:200, such details are deliberately simplified or combined so that they remain stable and print cleanly. This is not a loss of quality but a craft necessity: it is the overall impression that counts.

Scale and price

Larger is not automatically more expensive — and smaller is not automatically cheaper. A large scale means more material and print time; a small scale often means more objects on the surface (e.g. 40 houses in a district). What matters is the combination of scale, level of detail and quantity. Our guide What does a model cost? offers some orientation.

How to choose correctly

Ask yourself three questions:

1. What for? Representation, sales, approval or a gift?
2. How much detail must be visible? The façade or just the massing?
3. How much space is available? A reception area, showroom or trade fair stand?

When in doubt, we are happy to advise you. Send us your object and the planned location — we will recommend the right scale and tell you the resulting model size. You can read more about the necessary documents under What data do I need?.