How-to guide

How to read the scale from a drawing's title block

Name: How to read the scale from a drawing's title block
Uploaded: 2026-10-30
Duration: 32 s
Description: How to set the scale of a PDF drawing from its title block in one click, check the paper size, and handle sheets with more than one scale. Free with Takeoff Studio.

Most drawings say their scale in the title block - 1:100 @ A1, 1:50 @ A3 - but that only holds if the PDF is at the paper size it was drawn for. Takeoff Studio reads the scale note for you, checks it against the page size and sets the scale in one click. It's free on Windows, and your drawing never leaves your PC.

4 stepsFreeVideo 32 seconds

Step by step

Open the drawing

Open the drawing with Load PDF and go to the sheet you want to measure. If the page has a scale note, the status bar at the bottom tells you which scale it found, such as 1:50 @ A2 or 3/16" = 1'-0".

Choose Set Scale from Title Block

In the PDF tab choose Set Scale from Title Block (or press Ctrl+K and type title block). Takeoff Studio finds scale notes in the page text - 1:100 @ A1, Scale 1:200, or imperial ones such as 1/4" = 1'-0" - and shows what it found. Click Show to zoom to the note on the drawing.

Check the paper size

A scale only holds at the paper size it was drawn for. Takeoff Studio compares the size in the note with the size of the PDF page. If they match, it says so. If an A1 drawing has been saved at A3, it warns you and offers the scale at this size (1:100 @ A1 on an A3 page measures 1:200) as well as the scale as written.

Set the scale and check it

Click Set Scale to the scale it found, and the page is calibrated. Then measure something you know to check it - a printed dimension, or the drawing's scale bar: here the 12' bar measures 12'-0". If the sheet has details at other scales, pick the scale for the part you're measuring, or click Calibrate as a region and draw a box round that part so it gets its own scale.

Tips

Always check one known dimension after setting the scale. A PDF that was printed to a different paper size, or cropped, won't measure at its written scale.
NTS means not to scale. Takeoff Studio won't use it - calibrate from a dimension instead.
A scanned drawing is a picture of the paper with no text inside it, so its title block can't be read. Calibrate scans from a dimension (R).
The Drawing Register in the PDF tab reads the scale of every page at once, along with sheet numbers, titles and revisions, and has a Set button for each page.

Frequently asked questions

Is this free?

Yes. Reading the scale from the title block, the drawing register and more than one scale on a sheet are all free in Takeoff Studio.

What if the drawing has more than one scale?

Takeoff Studio lists every scale note it finds on the sheet. Set the page to the main one, then use Calibrate as a region for each detail or viewport at another scale. Measurements inside a region use its scale.

Does it read imperial scales?

Yes. Notes such as 1/4" = 1'-0" and 1" = 20' are read, and you can show quantities in feet and inches.

Are my drawings uploaded anywhere?

No. The drawing's text is read on your PC. Takeoff Studio is a Windows app and works offline.