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Soil Survey Manual - Table 2-2

Guide to Map Scale and Minimum Delineation Size

Map Scale Inches per Mile Minimum size delineation1
acres hectares
1:500 126.7 0.0025 0.001
1:2,000 31.7 0.040 0.016
1:5,000 12.7 0.25 0.10
1:7,920 8.00 0.62 0.25
1:10,00 6.34 1.00 0.41
1:12,00 5.25 1.43 0.57
1:15,840 4.00 2.5 1.0
1:20,000 3.17 4.0 1.6
1:24,000 (7.5') 2.64 5.7 2.3
1:31,680 2.00 10.0 4.1
1:62,500 (15') 1.01 39.0 15.8
1:63,360 1.00 40.0 16.2
1:100,000 0.63 100.0 40.5
1:125,000 0.51 156.0 63.0
1:250,000 0.25 623.0 252.0
1:300,000 0.21 897.0 363.0
1:500,000 0.127 2,500.0 1,000.0
1:750,000 0.084 5,600.0 2,270.0
1:1,000,000 0.063 10,000.0 4,000.0
1:5,000,000 0.013 249,000.0 101,000.0
1:7,500,000 0.0084 560,000.0 227,000.0
1:15,000,000 0.0042 2,240,000.0 907,000.0
1:30,000,000 0.0021 9,000,000.0 3,650,000.0
1:88,000,000 0.0007 77,000,000.0 31,200,000.0

1. The "minimum size delineation" is taken as a 6-mm square area (1/16 sq. in.). Cartographically, this is about the smallest area in which a symbol can be printed readily. Smaller areas can be delineated, and the symbol lined in from outside; but such small delineations reduce map legibility. On maps at the smaller scales, delineations are commonly 1 1/2 to 2 times the size of the minimum area that can be shown.