American paper sizes differ from standard paper sizes. The ISO 216 standard sizes are used internationally. A different standard is used in the United States, Canada and the Philippines.
Inch paper sizes
The American sizes are based on inches and not centimetres and millimetres. The American print market is huge. This is why American values are also used elsewhere in the world. The American paper sizes are the Letter, Legal and Ledger/Tabloid.
In addition to the mentioned sizes, there are a few other standards on a small scale. An example is Government-Letter. Government-Letters are used when printing American government forms.
Another example is the half Letter size which can be used for many applications. The size is 5 1⁄2 in × 8 1⁄2 in (140 mm × 215 mm). Another name for this size is Statement, Stationery, Memo, Half Letter, Half A (from ANSI sizes) or simply said as Half Size. The Half Letter size can be used for all kinds of applications such as personal letters and airline cards. The Half Letter size is similar to the A5 size from the ISO 216 series.
Loose American paper sizes.
Below is a table with the loose American paper sizes. The first column contains the name of the size; then you will see the size in inches, millimetres and aspect ratios.
| Size | inch × inch | mm × mm | AR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ledger | 17 × 11 | 432 × 279 | 0.647 |
| Tabloid Extra, Extra Tabloide | 12 × 18 | 305 × 457 | 3∶2 |
| European EDP | 12 × 14 | 305 × 356 | 7∶6 |
| Tabloid, Doble Carta | 11 × 17 | 279 × 432 | 1.545 |
| 11 × 15 | 11 × 15 | 279 × 381 | 15∶11 |
| Fanfold | 11 × 14 7⁄8 | 279 × 378 | 1.352 |
| EDP | 11 × 14 | 279 × 356 | 1.273 |
| 11 × 12 | 11 × 12 | 279 × 305 | 12∶11 |
| 10 × 14 | 10 × 14 | 254 × 356 | 7∶5 |
| 10 × 13 | 10 × 13 | 254 × 330 | 1.3 |
| 10 × 11 | 10 × 11 | 254 × 279 | 10∶11 |
| Legal Extra | 9 1⁄2 × 15 | 241 × 381 | 1.579 |
| Letter Extra | 9 1⁄2 × 12 | 241 × 305 | 1.263 |
| Letter Tab, 9 × 11 | 9 × 11 | 229 × 279 | 11∶9 |
| Legal | 8 1⁄2 × 14 | 216 × 356 | 1.647 |
| Oficio | 8 1⁄2 × 13 2⁄5 | 216 × 340 | 1.576 |
| Foolscap Folio | 8 1⁄2 × 13 | 216 × 330 | 1.529 |
| Letter Plus | 8 1⁄2 × 12 2⁄3 | 216 × 322 | 1.49 |
| European Fanfold | 8 1⁄2 × 12 | 216 × 305 | 1.412 |
| Letter, Carta | 8 1⁄2 × 11 | 216 × 279 | 1.294 |
| Quarto | 8 1⁄2 × 10 5⁄6 | 216 × 275 | 1.275 |
| Government Legal | 8 × 13 | 203 × 330 | ϕ∶1 |
| Demitab | 8 × 10 1⁄2 | 203 × 267 | 1.313 |
| Government Letter, 8 × 10 | 8 × 10 | 203 × 254 | 5∶4 |
| Executive | 7 1⁄4 × 10 1⁄2 | 184 × 267 | 1.448 |
| 7 × 9 | 7 × 9 | 178 × 229 | 1.286 |
| Memo, Statement, Mini, Invoice, Stationary, Half Letter | 5 1⁄2 × 8 1⁄2 | 140 × 216 | 1.545 |
| Junior Legal | 5 × 8 | 127 × 203 | 8∶5 |
| 5 × 7 | 5 × 7 | 127 × 178 | 7∶5 |
Standardized American paper sizes of the ANSI.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) adopted a national standard for paper sizes in 1996. The ANSI paper sizes are based on the de facto standard 8 1⁄2 in × 11 in (220 mm × 280 mm).
The “Letter” format is defined as the “ANSI A” variant. The ANSI A size is used for technical drawings. The ANSI A variant also calls me “Engineering”. The series is similar to the A series of the ISO standard.
When you cut an ANSI A in half, you get two Ledger/ Tabloid versions. A Ledger / Tabloid is also called ANSI B. Deviating from the ISO standard, the random sides of this series mean that the ANSI A version is less elongated than the A size, while the ANSI B version is more elongated than an A size of the ISO standard.
| ANSI size | inch × inch | mm × mm | AR | Comparable A-serie | A-serie in mm x mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANSI A | 8 1⁄2 × 11 | 216 × 279 | 1.2941 | ISO A4 | 210 × 297 |
| ANSI B | 11 × 17 | 279 × 432 | 1.5455 | ISO A3 | 210 × 297 |
| ANSI C | 17 × 22 | 432 × 559 | 1.2941 | ISO A2 | 297 × 420 |
| ANSI D | 22 × 34 | 559 × 864 | 1.5455 | ISO A1 | 594 × 841 |
| ANSI E | 34 × 44 | 864 × 1118 | 1.2941 | ISO A0 | 841 × 1187 |
Architectonic mats / Arch sizes
Following the ANSI sizes, there is also a standard defined for architectural purposes. This standard is referred to as ANSI/ASME Y14.1 or Arch standard. The ratio of the Arch standard is 4:3 or 3:2. This corresponds to screen ratios.
| Names | inch x inch | mm x mm | AR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arch A | Arch 1 | 9 × 12 | 229 × 305 | 4∶3 |
| Arch B | Arch 2 | 12 × 18 | 305 × 457 | 3∶2 |
| Arch C | Arch 3 | 18 × 24 | 457 × 610 | 4∶3 |
| Arch D | Arch 4 | 24 × 36 | 610 × 914 | 3∶2 |
| Arch E1 | Arch 5 | 30 × 42 | 762 × 1,070 | 7∶5 |
| Arch E2 | 26 × 38 | 660 × 965 | 1.462 | |
| Arch E3 | 27 × 39 | 686 × 991 | 13∶9 | |
| Arch E | Arch 6 | 36 × 48 | 914 × 1,220 | 4∶3 |
Image of the paper sizes.
American envelope sizes.
In addition to different paper sizes, the American standard also includes different envelope sizes.
| Name | inch × inch | mm × mm | AR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | 3 5⁄8 × 6 1⁄2 | 92.1 × 165 | 1.793 |
| Monarch | 3 7⁄8 × 7 1⁄2 | 98.4 × 191 | 1.935 |
| A2 | 4 3⁄8 × 5 3⁄4 | 111 × 146 | 1.314 |
| #9 | 3 7⁄8 × 8 7⁄8 | 98.4 × 225 | 2.29 |
| #10, Commercial | 4 1⁄8 × 9 1⁄2 | 105 × 241 | 2.303 |
| #11 | 4 1⁄2 × 10 3⁄8 | 114 × 264 | 2.306 |
| #12 | 4 3⁄4 × 11 | 121 × 279 | 2.316 |
| #14 | 5 × 11 1⁄2 | 127 × 292 | 2.3 |
