What scale is a miniature house? 1/12, 1/24, and more

The scale of a miniature house tells you how many times smaller the scene is than real life: at 1/12, one centimeter of model stands for twelve centimeters in real life. It's the reference scale for collectible dollhouses, where an adult figure is about 15 cm tall. Next comes 1/24, half the size, then 1/48 and 1/144 for the tiniest ones.

This guide explains how to read a scale, how to calculate it with a simple division, and why many kits to build are described by their size once assembled instead. If you're looking for a complete scene to put together, our miniature house kits range from a small teahouse that fits in your hand to a large two-story bookstore.

What the scale of a miniature house means

A scale is written like a fraction: 1/12 or 1:12, both notations mean the same thing.

The first number stands for the model, the second for real life. At 1/12, everything is twelve times smaller: the height of the walls, the width of a table, the thickness of a book. The bigger the second number, the smaller the miniature, which often surprises people at first.

Each corner of model making has its habits, which helps you get your bearings:

• collectible dollhouses: mostly 1/12, then 1/24;
• model trains: 1/87 for HO scale, 1/160 for N scale;
• figures and military vehicles: very often 1/35;
• fashion dolls and their houses: around 1/6.

If you're torn between a house for play and a house for display, our article on wooden dollhouses: for play or a model for adults sorts it out: scale isn't the only difference between the two.

What scale are collectible miniature houses?

Most collectible dollhouses are 1/12, and the other scales are defined in relation to it.

1/12 comes from the imperial measurement system: one inch of model for one real foot. An adult figure is 15 cm tall and a 4 m room is about 33 cm, which leaves room to furnish in detail. It's the scale with the most accessories sold separately, but a complete house quickly takes up an entire table.

1/24, called half scale, divides everything by two: an adult figure is 7.5 cm tall. A whole house then fits on a shelf, and the details are still easy to see with the naked eye.

1/48, or quarter scale, and 1/144 are for precision lovers. At 1/144, an adult figure is barely more than a centimeter: that's the size of a dollhouse sitting in the living room of a 1/12 house. The table below compares the four scales using everyday objects.

Scale	1 cm stands for	1.80 m adult	2 m door	4 m room
1/12	12 cm	15 cm	16.7 cm	33.3 cm
1/24	24 cm	7.5 cm	8.3 cm	16.7 cm
1/48	48 cm	3.75 cm	4.2 cm	8.3 cm
1/144	1.44 m	1.25 cm	1.4 cm	2.8 cm

How do you calculate a scale in miniature?

Scale or dimensions: how to choose your miniature house

For a miniature house to build and then display, the final size often matters more than the scale.

Many wooden scene kits, book nooks included, are described by their dimensions once built rather than by a standard scale. They're designed as a complete setting, delivered with their furniture and accessories, not as an empty house to fill with objects bought separately. Three questions help you choose:

• where will it live? Measure the space you have in width, height, and above all depth;
• do you want to add your own furniture? If so, a standard scale like 1/12 or 1/24 makes sure store-bought accessories will be the right size;
• how much time do you have? A small scene takes a few hours to build; a large two-story house takes several evenings.

A few real sizes from our catalog

To give you concrete benchmarks, here are the dimensions listed on the product pages of four of our kits, from smallest to largest:

• The Cherry Blossom House, 9.8 × 9.5 × 12.6 cm: a teahouse that fits in your palm, for a desk or a small shelf. It's still rated advanced, because its details are fine;
• The Showa Café, 16.8 × 14 × 18.7 cm: a book nook format at a beginner level, 4 to 5 hours of building, for a first scene slipped between two books;
• The Cherry Blossom Parlor, 19 × 17 × 16.8 cm: a two-level Japanese house with its autumn maple, for a weekend project;
• The Notting Hill Bookshop, 24 × 16.5 × 20 cm: 522 pieces and 6 to 10 hours of building, for anyone who wants a large centerpiece in the living room.

For a scene that slides between books, book nooks come in a format designed for the bookshelf, and our guide to setting up a book nook on a bookshelf details the measurements to check before you buy. And if it's the tiniest objects that draw you in, the article on the art of detail in miniature pieces shows what brings a scene to life at a small scale.

Which scale should you choose for a first miniature house?

It all depends on what you want to do with it once the house is finished.

To furnish a house room by room, with objects found over time, go with 1/12: it's the scale with the widest choice of accessories. For a complete scene to build and display, look at the final dimensions and the space you have at home instead. A house that comes with all its decor saves you the scale headache, since every piece of furniture is designed for it.

That's the approach of our miniature house kits: pre-cut wood, illustrated step-by-step instructions in English, LED lighting for most of them, and precision tweezers that come free with the kit. The smallest take one evening to build; the largest fill a weekend or several evenings.

To discover all our wooden scenes to build, visit the Nooko home page.