We explain the sizes of sheets of paper and in what series they are grouped. In addition, we offer you a table with all the paper measurements.
What sizes of sheets of paper are there?
Paper formats, paper sheet sizes or paper sheet dimensions are the proportions internationally standardized for the production of sheets of paper. This means that those who manufacture and distribute them do so respecting certain guidelines in terms of proportion and size, which allow standardizing or equating the size of the paper from one country to another.
There are numerous paper formats, each designed for certain specific activities and procedures, and often given different names, stemming from their particular history.
However, the current trend is to homogenize and standardize the sizes and names of the paper cut, using as a guide the guidelines of the ISO standard 216 (from English International Organization for Standardization, that is, “International Organization for Standardization”), which is based on DIN 476 (from the German Deutsches Institute for Normung, that is, "German Institute for Standardization") of 1922.
The idea behind these standardization formats is that the sheet of paper produced can be used to the maximum, reducing the margins of waste in its industrial processing. For this, three series of cuts are contemplated, that is, three categories of paper formats, each with different exclusive measures:
- The A series (DIN-A), the most common, used in offices and schools around the world.It covers formats from DIN A0 (larger) to DIN A10 (smaller), starting from a one square meter (1 m2) sheet of paper.
- The B series (DIN-B), less common and used above all to make posters, passports and official communications. It covers the DIN B0 (larger) to DIN B10 (smaller) formats, starting from a sheet one meter wide and with an area of 0.707 m2.
- The C series (DIN-C), exclusively intended for the manufacture of envelopes of different sizes. It covers formats from DIN C0 (larger) to DIN C10 (smaller), starting from a sheet whose dimensions are the geometric mean between series A and B, that is, an intermediate size between these two series.
Although this is the most widely used standard format in the world, coming from the German paper tradition, there are other standards widely used in the Anglo American and in Latin America, known as the American format (which includes letter, legal, official, half letter and tabloid sizes) and the Japanese format or format of the ukiyo-e (which includes the sizes kobosho, hosho, chubosho, oboshō, obirohosho Y takengabosho), among others.
Paper formats table
The following is a table of equivalences between the different international stationery formats:
| size name | Measurements (width x height) |
| ISO 216 format (DIN 476) | |
| DIN A0 | 841mm x 1189mm |
| DIN A1 | 594mm x 841mm |
| DIN A2 | 420mm x 594mm |
| DIN A3 | 297mm x 420mm |
| DIN A4 | 210mm x 297mm |
| DIN A5 | 148mm x 210mm |
| DIN A6 | 105mm x 148mm |
| DIN A7 | 74mm x 105mm |
| DIN A8 | 52mm x 74mm |
| DIN A9 | 37mm x 52mm |
| DIN A10 | 26mm x 37mm |
| DIN B0 | 1000mm x 1414mm |
| DIN B1 | 707mm x 1000mm |
| DIN B2 | 500mm x 707mm |
| DIN B3 | 353mm x 500mm |
| DIN B4 | 250mm x 353mm |
| DIN B5 | 176mm x 250mm |
| DIN B6 | 125mm x 176mm |
| DIN B7 | 88mm x 125mm |
| DIN B8 | 62mm x 88mm |
| DIN B9 | 44mm x 62mm |
| DIN B10 | 31mm x 44mm |
| DIN C0 | 917mm x 1297mm |
| DIN C1 | 648mm x 917mm |
| DIN C2 | 458mm x 648mm |
| DIN C3 | 324mm x 458mm |
| DIN C4 | 229mm x 324mm |
| DIN C5 | 162mm x 229mm |
| DIN C6 | 114mm x 162mm |
| DIN C7 | 81mm x 114mm |
| DIN C8 | 57mm x 81mm |
| DIN C9 | 40mm x 57mm |
| DIN C10 | 28mm x 40mm |
| Extended DIN 476 format | |
| DIN 4A0 | 1682mm x 2378mm |
| DIN 2A0 | 1189mm x 2378mm |
| DIN B0+ | 1118mm x 1580mm |
| DIN A0+ | 882mm x 1247mm |
| DIN A1+ | 609mm x 914mm |
| DIN A3+ | 329mm x 483mm |
| american format | |
| Letter | 216mm x 279mm |
| Job | 216mm x 330mm |
| Legal | 216mm x 356mm |
| half card | 216mm x 140mm |
| Anglo-Saxon format | |
| Letter (letter) | 215.9mm x 279.4mm |
| Legal | 215.9mm x 355.6mm |
| Government Legal | 215.9mm x 330.2mm |
| Tabloid (double letter) | 279.4mm x 431.8mm |
| Deprecated European formats | |
| Sheet (double folio) | 315mm x 430mm |
| Invoice | 215mm x 315mm |
| Sheet (half page) | 157.5mm x 215mm |
| Leaflet (half page) | 107.5mm x 157.5mm |
| Dutch (short folio) | 220mm x 280mm |
| Japanese format (washi) | |
| Kobōsho (小奉書) | 46cm x 34cm |
| Hosho (奉書) | 60cm x 32cm |
| Chūbōsho (中奉書) | 50cm x 36cm |
| Obōsho (大奉書) | 52cm x 38cm |
| Ōbirohōsho (大広奉書) | 58cm x 40cm |
| Takenagabōsho (丈長奉書) | 52.5cm x 72-77cm |