Subject:
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[Building FAQ] What are the dimensions and aspect ratios of LEGO(r) bricks?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.faq
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Date:
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Tue, 3 Aug 1999 23:14:04 GMT
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Viewed:
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9384 times
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I have added the notes on dimension relationships originally from Jef Poskan:
Subject: What are the dimensions and aspect ratios of LEGO® bricks?
Topic-Level: 1
Content-Language: en
Originator: Fred M. Sloniker, 1998-11-28
Revision: Robert M. Dye, 1999-11-20
Revision: Steve Bliss, 1999-11-30
Comment: The above two dates (1999-11-20 and 1999-11-30) are known to be wrong
Revision: Robert Munafo, 1999-07-22
Reference: http://www.lugnet.com/news/display.cgi?lugnet.general:853
Reference: http://www.lugnet.com/news/display.cgi?lugnet.general:933
Location: /build/
<P><I>From Robert M. Dye:</I></P>
<P>
A 2x2 brick is 5 plates wide, so the aspect ratio is 1 (stud-to-stud)
to 2.5 (thickness of plates). Or, 1 (brick thickness) to 1.2
(stud-to-stud). Or, 1 (plate thickness) to 0.4 (stud-to-stud).
</P>
<P><I>From Steve Bliss:</I></P>
<P>
The basic ratio is 2:5, for stud-spacing to plate-height -- which is
why you see Technic models with beam-plate-plate-beam stacked up: this
allows beams to be placed vertically, and connected to the other
beams.
</P>
<P>
In LDU (LDraw units), the measurements are:
</P>
<P><PRE>
Brick height = 24
Plate height = 8
Stud pitch = 20
</PRE></P>
<P>
I believe the LU (LEGO Unit) measurements are:
</P>
<P><PRE>
Brick height = 6
Plate height = 2
Stud pitch = 5
</PRE></P>
<P><I>From Jef Poskanzer (jef@netcom.com)</I></P>
<P>
Approximate dimensions in millimeters:
</P>
<PRE>
Spacing of stud centers: 8
Diameter of studs: 5
Height of block: 9.6
Height of studs: 1.7
Thickness of brick walls: 1.5
Outer diameter of cylinders
(found on underside of bricks): 6.31
Thickness of cylinder walls: 0.657
</PRE>
<P>
Formulas:
</P>
<P>
(height of brick) =
(spacing of stud centers) * 6 / 5
</P>
<P>
(thickness of brick walls) =
((spacing of stud centers) - (diameter of studs)) / 2
</P>
<P>
(height of studs) =
(height of brick) / 3 - (thickness of brick walls)
</P>
<P>
(outer diameter of cylinders) =
sqrt(2) * (spacing of stud centers) - (diameter of studs)
</P>
<P>
(thickness of cylinder walls) =
((outer diameter of cylinders) - (diameter of studs)) / 2
</P>
<P><I>From Robert Munafo:</I></P>
<P>
The actual dimension (rather than the ratios) can be determined by carefully
measuring a properly constructed "wall" of bricks. Vertical dimensions are
prone to error caused by sloppy stacking, but long horizontal walls constructed
from two or more layers of overlapping bricks are not prone to such error. A
wall of this type built from Technic beams made in the late 1990's shows that
the stud pitch distance is 7.986 millimeters, plus or minus 2 microns, when the
parts are at 25 degrees centigrade (77 degrees Farenheit).
</P>
<P>
It is also worthwhile to note that LEGO bricks are always made a little smaller
than this dimension would suggest. For example, the length of a 2x4 brick is a
little less than 4 times 7.986 millimeters. The length is diminished slightly
so that there will be a small gap when bricks are stacked next to each other.
This gap allows for dust, marred surfaces and other imperfections. If the gap
were not there the bricks would tend to push each other apart and the overall
construction would be less strong.
</P>
<P>
Using the ratios above and converting to imperial measurements yields the
following figures for all three dimensions:
</P>
<P><PRE>
Brick height 9.582 mm 0.37724 in
Plate height 3.194 mm 0.12575 in
Stud pitch 7.985 mm 0.31437 in
</PRE></P>
<P>
The following popular approximations are often used. Note that the Imperial
approximations are each about 1 percent smaller than the corresponding S.I.
(Metric) approximation:
</P>
<P><PRE>
S.I. Imperial
Brick height 9.6 mm = 48/5 mm 0.375 in = 3/8 in
Plate height 3.2 mm = 16/5 mm 0.125 in = 1/8 in
Stud pitch 8.0 mm 0.3125 in = 5/16 in
</PRE></P>
<P>
There seems to be no authoritative answer as to why the 5-to-6 ratio mentioned
above was chosen, rather than a more obvious 1-to-1. However, the answer
probably has to do with the size and shape of real-world bricks used to make
buildings. This makes sense since most early LEGO building sets were oriented
around the general idea of making buildings out of bricks.
</P>
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