INCHES / CM / TIME / PRICE
Tattoo size calculator.
Type one measurement and get back three things: what it is in centimeters, what it looks like next to something you own, and the session time and price that size usually carries. Inches and centimeters both work.
5 in = 12.7 cm
About the same as a smartphone.
5 × 5 in, fine line on a flat forearm:
Typical published ranges, not a quote. The full tattoo size chart shows every size at once.
Placement and style move both numbers. tattoo price calculator applies them to your estimate.
5 inches is 12.7 cm.
Tattoo size conversion chart
Every size a shop is likely to quote, in both units, with something familiar to hold it against.
| Inches | Centimeters | Compares to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 2.5 cm | A thumbnail |
| 2 in | 5 cm | A watch face |
| 3 in | 7.5 cm | A credit card |
| 4 in | 10 cm | The palm of your hand |
| 5 in | 13 cm | A smartphone |
| 6 in | 15 cm | An outstretched hand span |
| 7 in | 18 cm | A small tablet |
| 8 in | 20 cm | The short side of a sheet of paper |
| 10 in | 25 cm | A dinner plate |
| 12 in | 30 cm | A standard ruler |
The conversion is exact: inches × 2.54 = cm. A 5 inch design is 5 × 2.54 = 12.7 cm, which is why the table rounds it to 13 cm. 1 in = 2.54 cm, rounded the way studio size charts quote it. Comparisons are everyday objects at adult scale. Hold the real thing against the spot before you commit. Data updated September 24, 2026.
Why the same size has a range, not a price
The conversion is arithmetic. The money is not. Two artists can quote the same 5 × 5 inch design hundreds of dollars apart, because what you are really buying is their hours, and hours move with how fast they work, how dense the design is, and how much color it carries.
That is why this calculator returns a range built from published rates: roughly $50-130/hr for newer artists, $150-300/hr for experienced ones, and $300-500/hr at the top of the market. At the $163/hr US average, the hour table above turns a size into a budget. Enter your own artist’s rate and the range re-centers on them.
Placement moves it too, and not a little. A 5 inch piece on the ribs is a slower, harder job than the same drawing on a flat outer forearm. The surface curves away and moves with every breath. The numbers here stay pinned to that flat forearm on purpose, so sizes can be compared fairly; the homepage calculator applies your actual placement and style.
Size calculator questions
What people ask about turning a measurement into a tattoo. Something missing? Tell us and we will add it.
- How do I convert tattoo sizes from inches to cm?
- Multiply the inches by 2.54: a 5 inch design is 5 × 2.54 = 12.7 cm, usually rounded to 13 cm. To go the other way, divide the centimeters by 2.54. The table above does it for every common size, and the calculator accepts either unit, so you can measure however your ruler reads.
- How accurate is a tattoo size calculator?
- The conversion is exact; the time and price are estimates. Inches to cm is pure arithmetic, but how long a piece takes depends on the artist's speed, the density of the design, and the placement. A 5 inch piece on the ribs takes longer than the same piece on a forearm. Treat the output as the budget range to walk in with, not a quote.
- How does the size estimate turn into a price?
- Size sets the hours, and hours get multiplied by an hourly rate ($163/hr, the US average) unless you enter your artist's rate. This page pins style and placement to the site's baseline, fine line on a flat forearm, so the numbers stay comparable across sizes. Changing either one moves the price.
Want the whole table in front of you instead of one size at a time? The tattoo size chart lists every size from a thumbnail to a full sleeve, with session time and cost in the same row.
Size settled? The tattoo price calculator turns your size, placement, and style into a full estimate in about thirty seconds.
Wondering what a number of inches actually buys? The tattoo cost by size table prices each size across fine line, traditional, and color realism.