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US loose sizes

Letter Paper Size

Compare Letter

Letter paper measures 8.5 × 11 in (215.9 × 279.4 mm). It is the standard office and home page size in the United States and Canada, the North American counterpart to A4.

inisDimensions 215.9 × 279.4 mm

Letter measures 215.9 millimetres wide and 279.4 millimetres tall.

Letter Dimensions in Each Unit

Letter is 215.9 × 279.4 mm, which is 21.6 × 27.9 cm or 8.5 × 11 in.

UnitWidthHeightWidth × heightCopy
Millimetres (mm)215.9279.4215.9 × 279.4 mm
Centimetres (cm)21.627.921.6 × 27.9 cm
Metres (m)0.2160.2790.216 × 0.279 m
Inches (in)8.5118.5 × 11 in
Feet (ft)0.710.920.71 × 0.92 ft
Points (pt)612792612 × 792 pt
Picas (pc)516651 × 66 pc
Pixels at 72 DPI612792612 × 792 px
Pixels at 150 DPI127516501275 × 1650 px
Pixels at 300 DPI255033002550 × 3300 px
Pixels at 600 DPI510066005100 × 6600 px

Pixel counts follow from the resolution: pixels = millimetres ÷ 25.4 × DPI. More on the DPI and pixels page.

Letter Shape and Area

Aspect ratio1 : 1.294
Area0.0603 m² · 60,322 mm²
Diagonal353.1 mm · 13.9 in
Closest ISO sizeA4
Governing standardAmerican National Standard

Letter to Scale

Letter215.9 × 279.4 mm215.9 mm279.4 mm
Letter at true proportion. Long edge 279.4 mm, short edge 215.9 mm.

Put Letter next to another size in the comparison tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the size of US Letter paper?

Letter is 8.5 by 11 inches, which is 215.9 by 279.4 mm or 21.6 by 27.9 cm.

Is 8.5 by 11 Letter or A4?

8.5 by 11 inches is US Letter. A4 is 8.27 by 11.69 inches, which is narrower and taller.

Is Letter the same as A4?

No. Letter is 216 by 279 mm and A4 is 210 by 297 mm. They share a printer tray but not a layout, so a shared PDF can lose a footer or gain a margin depending on which one it prints on.

Which countries use Letter instead of A4?

The United States and Canada mainly, plus the Philippines, Chile and parts of Mexico and Colombia. The rest of the world uses A4.

US Paper Sizes

Dimensions per American National Standard; unit values derived by formula. Reviewed . Editorial Process →