Hobby · Wargaming and tabletop miniatures
What scale is 28mm? Miniature scale converter.
A “28mm” figure is not one ratio, because the ratio is the real height divided by the figure height and the real height is a choice. Wikipedia’s scale table pairs 28 mm with 1:64, which works for a person about 1.8 m tall measured to the crown of the head. Enter your figure’s height and the person’s height: a 28 mm figure for a 1.7 m person is 1:60.7, for 1.8 m is 1:64.3 and for 1.9 m is 1:67.9. A 1:56 reading implies the 28 mm stands for 1,568 mm, a shorter height than the table assumes, which fits makers who measure to the eyes.
Your numbers
Result
Working out the result.
How the miniature scale is calculated
Scale is a ratio: the real height divided by the model height. A 28 mm figure standing for a 1,800 mm person is 1,800 ÷ 28 = 64.3, written 1:64. Wikipedia’s miniature wargaming article gives a table that pairs figure heights with approximate ratios (90 mm with 1:20, 54 mm with 1:32, 45 mm with 1:40, 28 mm with 1:64, 25.4 mm with 1:72, 25 mm with 1:73, 20 mm with 1:89, 15 mm with 1:120 and 6 mm with 1:300) measured from the base of the feet to the crown of the head. Most of those rows are what you get from a person about 1.8 m tall, which is why this page defaults to 1.8 m.
Different posters give different ratios for the same label because they pick different people and different measuring points. The same article notes that some manufacturers measure to the crown of the head and others to the eyes, and that advertised sizes may not match actual sizes, with some models made “a little oversized.” Measure to the eyes and the figure looks shorter than the box says, so the true ratio comes out smaller, such as 1:56 for a 28 mm figure.
Worked examples with real numbers
- 28 mm, three heights. 1,700 ÷ 28 = 1:60.7; 1,800 ÷ 28 = 1:64.3; 1,900 ÷ 28 = 1:67.9.
- Working back from 1:56. 28 mm × 56 = 1,568 mm, so a 1:56 reading means the 28 mm stands for a person 1.57 m tall, or a taller person measured to the eyes.
- Matching a 1:72 vehicle. A 1.8 m person at 1:72 is 25.0 mm, not 28 mm, so a 28 mm figure beside a 1:72 vehicle looks about 12% too large. At 1:56 it would be 32.1 mm.
- 15 mm and 54 mm. 1,800 ÷ 15 = 1:120 and 1,800 ÷ 54 = 1:33.3, close to the table’s 1:120 and 1:32.
The same person at common figure sizes
| Figure height | Ratio for a 1.8 m person | Nearest common scale |
|---|---|---|
| 6 mm | 1:300.0 | 1:300 |
| 10 mm | 1:180.0 | 1:144 |
| 12 mm | 1:150.0 | 1:144 |
| 15 mm | 1:120.0 | 1:120 |
| 18 mm | 1:100.0 | 1:100 |
| 20 mm | 1:90.0 | 1:87 |
| 25 mm | 1:72.0 | 1:72 |
| 28 mm | 1:64.3 | 1:64 |
| 30 mm | 1:60.0 | 1:64 |
| 32 mm | 1:56.3 | 1:56 |
| 35 mm | 1:51.4 | 1:48 |
| 40 mm | 1:45.0 | 1:43 |
| 54 mm | 1:33.3 | 1:32 |
| 75 mm | 1:24.0 | 1:24 |
| 90 mm | 1:20.0 | 1:20 |
What this calculator leaves out
A ratio describes a human; it cannot describe “heroic” figures whose heads, hands and weapons are deliberately oversized, so two 28 mm figures from different makers can stand at different true heights. It does not know how your maker measures the figure. The nearest common scale is the closest of a short list of ratios used in modelling and is only a guide. Check a maker’s own statement before matching figures to vehicles or terrain.
Common mix-ups
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Often assumed28mm is a fixed ratio such as 1:56 or 1:64.
What the source saysWikipedia’s table pairs 28 mm with 1:64 for a figure measured from the feet to the crown, and notes that some makers measure to the eyes, which changes the ratio. [1]
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Often assumedThe size on the box is the real size of the figure.
What the source saysThe same article says advertised sizes may not match actual sizes and that some models are made a little oversized. [1]
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Often assumedA game’s figures are always at the game’s own scale.
What the source saysWikipedia notes that many games use 25 mm figures, appropriate to 1:60, when the game is played at a larger scale such as 1:360. [1]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
What scale is 28mm?
About 1:64 if the 28 mm is the height of a 1.8 m person from foot to crown, which is the pairing in Wikipedia’s scale table. For a 1.7 m person it is 1:60.7 and for 1.9 m it is 1:67.9.
Is 28mm the same as 1:56?
Not strictly. 28 mm at 1:56 stands for 1,568 mm, which is shorter than the 1.8 m behind the 1:64 pairing. The two readings differ because of the height assumed and where the figure is measured, to the crown or to the eyes.
Does 1/64 work for 25mm models?
A 25 mm figure at 1,800 mm is 1:72, and the table pairs 25 mm with 1:73. A 1:64 reading for 25 mm would need a 1.6 m person, so it fits only if you accept a shorter person.
Why do different websites give different scales for the same size?
The ratio depends on the real height chosen and on whether the figure is measured to the crown or the eyes. Wikipedia notes that makers differ on this and that some models are a little oversized.
How do I match miniatures to terrain or vehicles?
Enter the figure height and a person height, then use the “figure height you would get at 1:” box. A 1.8 m person at 1:56 is 32.1 mm and at 1:72 is 25.0 mm, so compare that to your figure.
What is the difference between heroic and true scale?
True scale keeps human proportions at the stated ratio. Heroic figures enlarge the head, hands and weapons, so they read bigger than the ratio says. This page cannot correct for that; it only does the division.
Sources
Retrieved
- Wikipedia: Miniature wargaming — table of figure heights and approximate ratios measured foot to crown (28 mm = 1:64, 25.4 mm = 1:72, 15 mm = 1:120); note that makers measure to the crown or the eyes and that some figures are oversized (read 2026-10-26)
The ratio is a division, not a standard
No official body sets a scale for a “28mm” label. The table and ratios on this page follow Wikipedia as read on 26 October 2026, plus arithmetic you can check. Nothing you type is sent or stored.