Screen size in inches and cm: full conversion chart

Key takeaways

• 1 inch = 2.54 cm. The diagonal quoted for a display therefore converts by multiplying the inches by 2.54.
• Two displays with the same diagonal do not have the same surface area depending on the aspect ratio: a 65 inch in 16:9 gives 1.16 m² (143.9 x 80.9 cm), whereas a 65 inch in 21:9 gives 0.99 m² (151.7 x 65.0 cm).
• The diagonal alone is therefore not enough: width and height are what determine whether a display fits on a wall, in a recess or inside a cabinet.
• The dimensions quoted correspond to the active panel. The complete device is always slightly larger, which matters for custom integration.

Display size is always quoted as a diagonal, in inches. Here are the full conversion charts and the calculation formulas.

Screen size conversion chart in 16:9

16:9 is the reference aspect ratio for displays, professional and consumer alike. All the values below correspond to the active panel, rounded to the millimetre.

Inches	Diagonal (cm)	Width (cm)	Height (cm)	Surface area (m²)
24	61,0	53,1	29,9	0,16
27	68,6	59,8	33,6	0,20
32	81,3	70,8	39,8	0,28
40	101,6	88,6	49,8	0,44
43	109,2	95,2	53,5	0,51
49	124,5	108,5	61,0	0,66
50	127,0	110,7	62,3	0,69
55	139,7	121,8	68,5	0,83
60	152,4	132,8	74,7	0,99
65	165,1	143,9	80,9	1,16
70	177,8	155,0	87,2	1,35
75	190,5	166,0	93,4	1,55
80	203,2	177,1	99,6	1,76
85	215,9	188,2	105,8	1,99
86	218,4	190,4	107,1	2,04
98	248,9	217,0	122,0	2,65
100	254,0	221,4	124,5	2,76
105	266,7	232,4	130,8	3,04
110	279,4	243,5	137,0	3,34

The conversion formulas

For a diagonal expressed in inches, on a display with a 16:9 aspect ratio:

• • Diagonal in cm = inches multiplied by 2.54.
• • Width in cm = diagonal in cm multiplied by 0.8716.
• • Height in cm = diagonal in cm multiplied by 0.4903.

These two coefficients come from Pythagoras’ theorem applied to the 16:9 ratio. They change with the aspect ratio: 0.8480 and 0.5300 in 16:10, then 0.8000 and 0.6000 in 4:3.

Example for a 75 inch display in 16:9:

• Diagonal: 75 x 2.54 = 190.5 cm
• Width: 190.5 x 0.8716 = 166.0 cm
• Height: 190.5 x 0.4903 = 93.4 cm
• Surface area: 1.66 x 0.934 = 1.55 m²

Example for an 86 inch display in 16:9:

• Diagonal: 86 x 2.54 = 218.4 cm
• Width: 218.4 x 0.8716 = 190.4 cm
• Height: 218.4 x 0.4903 = 107.1 cm
• Surface area: 1.904 x 1.071 = 2.04 m²

The other aspect ratios: 16:10 and 4:3

16:10 remains common on professional monitors and on some projection screens. 4:3 survives on older projection screens and a few specific uses. At equal diagonal, these ratios give an image that is taller and narrower.

Inches	16:10 width (cm)	16:10 height (cm)	4:3 width (cm)	4:3 height (cm)
24	51,7	32,3	48,8	36,6
27	58,2	36,3	54,9	41,1
32	68,9	43,1	65,0	48,8
43	92,6	57,9	87,4	65,5
55	118,5	74,0	111,8	83,8
65	140,0	87,5	132,1	99,1
75	161,5	101,0	152,4	114,3
86	185,2	115,8	174,8	131,1
98	211,1	131,9	199,1	149,4

What the diagonal does not tell you

• • The actual footprint exceeds the panel. The converted dimensions correspond to the image surface. The chassis, the frame and the rear connectors add a few centimetres on each side and several centimetres in depth. For a recessed or built-in installation, the datasheet of the chosen model is what counts, never the conversion chart.
• • Mounting height matters. The same display placed at 1.00 m or at 1.40 m from the floor does not serve the same seats in the room.
• • Weight follows surface area. Moving from a 65 to a 98 inch display multiplies the surface area by 2.3 and determines both the mount and the type of wall required.
• • Resolution makes nothing larger. A 4K panel displays more information for the same surface area, but it will not make text more legible from a distance.

These constraints are handled when choosing the mount and planning the integration, with our technical furniture and screen mounts solutions.

Which diagonal for which viewing distance?

Converting inches into centimetres answers a question of footprint. The next question is legibility, and it depends on the distance of the farthest viewer and on the density of the content displayed.

The chart below gives orders of magnitude drawn from the ANSI/AVIXA V202.01 standard, known as DISCAS, for two types of content: titles and simple charts, then ordinary presentation material.

Inches	Image height (cm)	Titles and charts (m)	Ordinary presentation (m)
43	53,5	3,2	2,1
50	62,3	3,7	2,5
55	68,5	4,1	2,7
65	80,9	4,9	3,2
75	93,4	5,6	3,7
86	107,1	6,4	4,3
98	122,0	7,3	4,9
110	137,0	8,2	5,5

These values are indicative. A dense dashboard, a spreadsheet or a technical drawing fall under a third category, considerably more demanding, which we set out in our article on the right screen size for a meeting room. As an audiovisual integrator in Switzerland, Hi Technologies is an AVIXA member and several of our staff hold the CTS certification (Certified Technology Specialist).

Having your displays sized

A conversion chart settles a question of centimetres. Choosing a diagonal depends on the geometry of the room, the content displayed, the ambient light, the mounting height and the available wall. That is the work of our in-house engineering office, which handles spaces one at a time and documents every choice.

A fit-out project, a room to equip, an estate to standardize across several sites: get in touch to discuss it. We survey your spaces, size the displays room by room and propose a configuration for each typology.