How big should a doorway be for 28mm figures? How tall is a Sherman tank at 1:56? Which model train terrain can stand in for your tabletop battlefield? This calculator answers all of it.
Enter the real-world size of any figure, vehicle, or terrain piece, and every major wargaming and tabletop scale outputs simultaneously. Enter a miniature measurement and it converts back to real-world size. Because it shows every scale side by side, it also helps you spot proxy kits — a 1:48 model car or O scale building that can pass for 28mm terrain at a fraction of the cost. And if you’d rather build your own, scale figures are the starting point for papercraft terrain and DIY gaming boards. Metric and imperial both work.
How big should it be on the table? Enter the real-world size of any figure, vehicle, or terrain piece to see its correct miniature dimensions across every scale.
| Scale | Common Use | Games / Systems | Mini Size |
|---|
How to use this tool
Type any real-world measurement into the input field and select your unit — the table updates all scales at once. The preset buttons cover common terrain and figure references; enter anything else directly. The reverse calculator at the bottom converts a miniature measurement back to real-world size at any scale.
What the numbers actually mean on the table
Scale in miniature wargaming is not a single standard. It’s a range of conventions that evolved separately across game systems, manufacturers, and decades. Understanding the most common ones is the difference between terrain that looks right on the table and terrain that makes your figures look like they’re storming a doll’s house.
Two things worth knowing before you measure anything.
First: wargaming figures are measured from foot to eye level, not the top of the head. A 28mm figure stands 28mm from base to eye. The full height — including head — typically adds another 4–6mm depending on the manufacturer and how heroic the proportions run.
Second: heroic scale and true scale are not the same thing, even when they carry the same millimeter label. Modern Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar figures are built to heroic proportions at approximately 32mm to eye level, which maps closer to 1:48 than the 1:56 that strict 28mm implies. Bolt Action and Warhammer: The Old World sit at 28mm true scale, closer to 1:56. The difference is visible when you put both ranges on the same table.
For terrain building, the most reliable single reference is doorway height. A standard door in most historical and modern contexts runs 200–210cm. At 1:56 (28mm), that’s 35–37mm — taller than most wargaming figures standing on a base, which is the correct relationship. If your terrain doorway is exactly 28mm, your figures won’t fit through it with their bases.
For a deeper look at how scale interacts with proportion across figure ranges and periods, the full miniature scale reference guide covers compatibility considerations in detail.
Common wargaming and tabletop scales at a glance
| Scale | Common Name | Primary Systems |
|---|---|---|
| 1:285 | 6mm / Epic | Battletech, Epic 40,000, Adeptus Titanicus, GHQ Microarmor |
| 1:160 | 10mm | Pendraken, Magister Militum; also N scale model trains |
| 1:100 | 15mm | Flames of War, Team Yankee, De Bellis Antiquitatis |
| 1:72 | 20mm | Airfix, Zvezda, 20mm historical wargaming; also standard aircraft kit scale |
| 1:56 | 28mm standard | Warhammer: The Old World, Bolt Action, D&D / Pathfinder, Kings of War, Frostgrave |
| 1:60 | 28mm true scale | Infinity (N4), some historical figure ranges |
| 1:48 | 32mm / O scale | Warhammer 40,000 (modern), Age of Sigmar, Star Wars: Legion, Marvel Crisis Protocol, Warmachine / Hordes; also US O scale model trains |
| 1:35 | 54mm | Tamiya armor and vehicles, Verlinden dioramas, AFV Club |
| 1:87 | HO scale | HO model railways — most popular train scale worldwide |
Frequently asked questions
What scale is Warhammer 40,000?
Modern Warhammer 40,000 figures — those released from roughly 8th edition onward — are built to 32mm scale, which corresponds to approximately 1:48. Earlier releases were 28mm heroic scale, closer to 1:56. The two ranges are often used on the same table, though the size difference is visible on close inspection. Age of Sigmar follows the same 32mm convention.
What is 28mm scale as a ratio?
28mm scale corresponds to approximately 1:56 when measured foot to eye level using a 180cm human as the real-world reference. The exact ratio varies by manufacturer. Figures marketed as “28mm heroic” — with larger heads, hands, and weapons — tend to run closer to 1:52 depending on total height. True-scale 28mm ranges like Infinity (N4) sit closer to 1:60.
What scale are D&D miniatures?
Most official Dungeons & Dragons miniatures, including those from Wizkids, are produced at 28mm scale (approximately 1:56). They are designed to fit a standard 1-inch (25mm) grid square, which is the D&D tabletop standard. Some collector and pre-painted lines vary slightly depending on the release era.
How do I convert a real-world measurement to miniature scale?
Divide the real-world measurement in millimeters by the scale ratio. For 28mm scale (1:56), divide by 56. A 200cm doorway (2000mm) divided by 56 gives approximately 35.7mm — the correct height for a 28mm terrain door. The calculator at the top of this page does this for all scales simultaneously.
What is the most popular scale for tabletop wargaming?
28mm, at roughly 1:56 scale, is the most widely used scale in tabletop wargaming. It offers enough surface area for detailed painting while remaining practical for moving units across a table. 15mm (1:100) is the standard for large-battle historical games like Flames of War, where fielding large armies makes 28mm impractical. At the smallest end, 6mm (1:285) is used for mass-battle systems like Battletech and Epic 40,000.
Is 28mm the same as 1:56 scale?
Approximately, with caveats. A 28mm figure measured foot to eye level represents a 180cm human at 1:56 scale. The figure’s full height including head is typically 32–35mm, not 28mm — the millimeter designation refers to eye-level measurement, not total height. This inconsistency is why two figures both labeled “28mm” from different manufacturers can look noticeably different next to each other.
Scale is the kind of thing that gets sorted once and mostly forgotten — until a terrain piece doesn’t sit right next to your figures, or you need to size something from scratch. If you’re building a more deliberate practice around the craft, these fundamentals of improving your miniature painting are worth having alongside this reference.
I hope you found this helpful! Until next time, happy miniature painting and modeling!
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