Billboard Sizes

Billboards have been used since the early 19th century, following the invention of lithographic printing, that allowed cheap printing of large sheets. The earliest billboards were mostly to be found on the sides of buildings and have spread to roadside use folowing the availability of cheaper automobiles.

Billboards come in many sizes, some more common than others. Here we will give most of the common sizes found in France, the UK and the USA. Due to the large size of billboards we will give sizes in metres on this page, rather than the millimetres used across most of our site.

UK Billboard Sizes

In the UK billboards (also known as advertising hoardings) are often found on bus shelters, in train stations, on buildings and by roadsides. Legislation requiring planning permission for billboards has led to the use of articulated trailers as billboards in some areas.

SizeWidth x Height (m)Width x Height (in)
4 Sheet1.02 x 1.52 m40 x 60 in
6 Sheet1.20 x 1.80 m47.24 x 70.87 in
12 Sheet3.05 x 1.52 m120 x 60 in
16 Sheet2.03 x 3.05 m80 x 120 in
32 Sheet4.06 x 3.05 m160 x 120 in
48 Sheet6.10 x 3.05 m240 x 120 in
64 Sheet8.13 x 3.05 m320 x 120 in
96 Sheet12.19 x 3.05 m480 x 120 in

Notes:

Some smaller billboards now have clip in place posters so the display size may be slightly smaller than the sheet size. For example the 6 sheet metric bus shelter billboards (1.20 x 1.80 m) have a safe display area of 1.14 x 1.71 m.

Most UK billboard sizes are still measured in feet and inches, despite the official use of metric units in the UK.

Due to the improvements in print technology a 4 sheet billboard is usually covered by a single 40 x 60 inch sheet. Thus a 12 sheet billboard will have 3 sheets, up to a 96 sheet billboard having 24 sheets.

The original 20 x 30 inch single sheet size is the British Imperial Double Crown paper size.

US Billboard Sizes

In the US billboards are found on buildings in cities and by roadsides and outside retail outlets in more open areas. Most US billboards are measured in feet and inches, with some being measured in sheets. In the US the standard sheet size for billboards is 27 x 40 inches (2'3" x 3'4").

SizeWidth x Height (m)Width x Height (in)
8 Sheet3.35 x 1.52 m132 x 60 in
30 Sheet6.91 x 3.17 m272 x 125 in
12 x 6 ft3.66 x 1.83 m144 x 72 in
12 x 8 ft3.66 x 2.44 m144 x 96 in
22 x 10 ft3.66 x 1.83 m264 x 120 in
24 x 10 ft3.66 x 2.44 m288 x 120 in
25 x 12 ft7.62 x 3.66 m300 x 144 in
36 x 10.5 ft10.97 x 3.20 m432 x 126 in
40 x 12 ft12.19 x 3.66 m480 x 144 in
48 x 14 ft14.63 x 4.27 m576 x 168 in
50 x 20 ft15.24 x 6.10 m600 x 240 in
60 x 16 ft18.29 x 4.88 m720 x 192 in

French Billboard Sizes

French billboard sizes are most often measured in metres squared with the Grand formats for urban areas being 12 and 8 metre squared, with 4 metre squared being the size for rural areas. There are also small 2 metre squared billboards for bus and tram stops.

SizeWidth x Height (m)Width x Height (in)
Abribus 2m21.756 x 1.191 m69.1 x 46.9 in
12m24.00 x 3.00 m157.5 x 118.1 in

Notes:

The Abribus billboard format has a safe display area of 1.750 x 1.185 m (68.9 x 46.7 in).

German Billboard (Plakatwand) Sizes

The standard size billboards we found in Germany are the City Star Boards and Superpostern, that have the root 2 aspect ratio used by A series paper. The City Star Boards are slightly larger than 4A0 and the Superpostern slight larger than 8A0.

SizeWidth x Height (m)Width x Height (in)
City Star3.56 x 2.52 m140.2 x 99.2 in
Superpostern5.26 x 3.72 m207.1 x 146.5 in

Austrian Billboard (Plakatwand) Sizes

Austrian billboard sizes are the Megaboard and Centerboard, the German City Star and Superpostern may also be in use.

SizeWidth x Height (m)Width x Height (in)
Brandboard1.50 x 2.00 m59.1 x 78.7 in
Dachfläche10.00 x 2.00 m393.7 x 78.7 in
Megaboard8.00 x 5.00 m315.0 x 196.9 in
Centerboard10.00 x 4.78 m393.7 x 188.2 in

Netherlands Billboard (Reclamebord) Sizes

The most common billboard format in the Netherlands is 3.30 x 2.40 m (129.9 x 94.5 in)