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Plane Table Scale Calculator

Work out plane table scale instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Plane Table Scale Calculator

Map scale is a pure ratio, so one centimetre at 1:1000 represents 1000 centimetres, or ten metres, on the ground. Working the relation the other way gives the plotting distance for a measured ground length. Areas scale with the square of the denominator, which is why a 1:1000 map covers a millionth of the ground area per unit area of paper.

Formulas

Ground distance

Ground m = map cm x scale denominator / 100

Plotting distance

Map cm = ground m x 100 / scale denominator; area factor = denominator²

Worked example

With the default values below, Plane Table Scale Calculator returns Ground distance represented of 125.000. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Map scale denominatorminimum 1
1,000
Distance measured on the mapminimum 0.01 cm
12.5 cm
Ground distance to plotminimum 0.01 m
200 m

Results

Ground distance represented
125.000 m
Map distance for the ground distance given
20.0000 cm
Representative fraction
0.00100000
Area scale factor
1,000,000

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Ground distance
  3. 3Plotting distance
  4. 4Ground distance represented= 125.000 m
  5. 5Map distance for the ground distance given= 20.0000 cm
  6. 6Representative fraction= 0.00100000
  7. 7Area scale factor= 1,000,000

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 8 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Plane Table Scale figure worked out?

Ground m = map cm x scale denominator / 100. Map scale is a pure ratio, so one centimetre at 1:1000 represents 1000 centimetres, or ten metres, on the ground.

What plotting accuracy is achievable?

About 0.2 mm on paper, which is the limit of a sharp pencil and the eye. At 1:1000 that is 0.2 metres on the ground, so surveying to millimetres for a plotted map is wasted effort.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 3 inputs: Map scale denominator, Distance measured on the map, Ground distance to plot. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic worked example — replace them with your own site or project figures.

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