ISO Paper Sizes
The ISO standard of paper sizes is the most common system in Europe.
A series includes A4 the usual letterhead size and
SRA2 which is the most common folio size for printing
B series, offering different printing options as well as covering specific end uses
C series is for envelopes
DL Envelope size
RA and SRA are used by printers, they are slightly larger than the A series to provide for grip, trim and bleed.
All sizes are given in millimetres
Sheet Size A B C RA SRA 0 841 x 1189 1000 x 141 917 x 1296 860 x 1220 900 x 1280 1 594 x 841 707 x 1000 648 x 917 610 x 860 640 x 900 2 420 x 594 500 x 700 458 x 648 430 x 610 450 x 640 3 297 x 420 353 x 500 324 x 458 305 x 430 320 x 450 4 210 x 297 250 x 353 229 x 324 215 x 305 225 x 320 5 148 x 210 176 x 250 162 x 229 152 x 215 160 x 225 6 105 x 148 125 x 176 114 x 162 107 x 152 112 x 160 7 74 x 105 88 x 125 81 x 114 76 x 107 80 x 112 8 52 x 74 62 x 88 57 x 81 53 x 76 56 x 80
In the ISO paper size system, the height-to-width ratio of all pages is the square root of two (1.4142: 1). If you cut a sheet into two the resulting halves is the same proportion as the original.
In other words a sheet of A4 when halved gives you two sheets of A5. All A size papers have the same proportions. The largest sheet in this series is A0 which is 841mm x 1189mm and just happens to be one square metre in area (ISO paper sizes are rounded to the nearest millimetre).
Application examples
The ISO standard paper size system covers a wide range of formats, but not all of them are widely used in practice. Among all formats, A4 is clearly the most important one for daily office use. Some main applications of the most popular formats can be summarized as:
A0, A1 | technical drawings, posters |
A1, A2 | flip charts |
A2, A3 | drawings, diagrams, large tables |
A4 | letters, magazines, forms |
A5 | note pads |
A6 | postcards |
B5, A5, B6, A6 | books |
C4, C5, C6 | envelopes for A4 letters |
B4, A3 | newspapers |
B8, A8 | playing cards |
The main advantage of the ISO standard paper sizes becomes obvious for users of copying machines:
Envelope formats
For postal purposes, ISO 269 and DIN 678 define the following envelope formats:
Envelope | Sizes in [mm] | Content Format |
C6 | 114 × 162 | A4 folded twice = A6 |
DL | 110 × 220 | A4 folded twice = 1/3 A4 |
C6/C5 | 114 × 229 | A4 folded twice = 1/3 A4 |
C5 | 162 × 229 | A4 folded once = A5 |
C4 | 229 × 324 | A4 |
C3 | 324 × 458 | A3 |
B6 | 125 × 176 | C6 envelope |
B5 | 176 × 250 | C5 envelope |
B4 | 250 × 353 | C4 envelope |
E4 | 280 × 400 | B4 |
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