INCHES / CM / TIME / COST
Tattoo size chart.
A 2 × 2 inch tattoo takes 1-2 hours and runs $60-250 in most US shops. At 6 × 6 inches you are sitting for 4-6 hours and paying $450-850, and every size between is below, in inches and centimeters, with the time and the money each one takes.
Measure the spot, find the row, and take the range with you to the consultation.
| Size | Inches | cm | Compares to | Session | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny | 1-2 | 2.5-5 | A coin or a watch face | Under 1-2 hrs | $60-250 |
| Small | 2-4 | 5-10 | A credit card | 1.5-4 hrs | $100-500 |
| Medium | 4-7 | 10-18 | A palm to a hand span | 3-6 hrs | $250-850 |
| Large | 7-12 | 18-30 | Half to a full sheet of paper | 5-14 hrs | $550-2,500 |
| Extra large | 12+ | 30+ | A sleeve or back panel | 10-40 hrs | $1,000-6,000+ |
The full tattoo size chart
Ten sizes from a thumbnail to a full sleeve. Sessions are chair time, not total healing time; costs are typical published ranges, not quotes.
| Size | Inches | cm | Compares to | Typical session | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 × 1 inOften the shop minimum | 1 × 1 | 2.5 × 2.5 | A thumbnail | Under 1 hr | $60-150 |
| 2 × 2 in | 2 × 2 | 5 × 5 | A watch face | 1-2 hrs | $60-250 |
| 3 × 3 in | 3 × 3 | 7.5 × 7.5 | A credit card | 1.5-3 hrs | $100-350 |
| 4 × 4 in | 4 × 4 | 10 × 10 | The palm of your hand | 2-4 hrs | $150-500 |
| 5 × 5 in | 5 × 5 | 13 × 13 | A smartphone | 3-5 hrs | $250-700 |
| 6 × 6 in | 6 × 6 | 15 × 15 | An outstretched hand span | 4-6 hrs | $450-850 |
| 8 × 5 in | 8 × 5 | 20 × 13 | Half a sheet of paper | 5-8 hrs | $550-1,100 |
| 12 × 8 inUsually two sittings | 12 × 8 | 30 × 20 | A sheet of paper | 8-14 hrs | $1,000-2,500 |
| Half sleeveInches are the band's length | 8-12 (wrap) | 20-30 (wrap) | Shoulder to elbow | 10-20 hrs | $1,000-3,000 |
| Full sleeveMulti-session work | 15-24 (wrap) | 38-61 (wrap) | Shoulder to wrist | 20-40+ hrs | $1,500-6,000+ |
Ranges compiled September 2026 from published studio price menus and third-party price guides. Sessions are chair time; large pieces are usually split across sittings. Costs assume a fine line / script style on an easy spot; a black & grey portrait of the same size runs considerably higher. Data updated September 24, 2026.
Size to price calculator
Type the width and length of the design. It runs the same model as the homepage calculator, estimated hours × hourly rate, pinned to the chart’s baseline: fine line on a flat forearm. The output is a range, never a single number.
Enter the width and length to see the area, the hours, and a price range.
Why the same size can cost three times more
The artist is the biggest variable. Studio price menus commonly span roughly $50-130/hr for newer artists, $150-300/hr for experienced ones, and $300-500/hr at the top of the market. The same 4 × 4 inch piece is a $150 job at one shop and a $500 job at the next, which is why every row above is a range, not a number.
How a shop charges matters as much as how much. Hourly shops quote size × time, which is what the calculator above models. Many studios price small pieces at a flat $60-150 shop minimum instead, and some quote large work per piece. That is why a row in the chart can sit below what the hourly model produces for the same size. Both are honest; they are just different pricing systems.
Style and placement multiply the time. A black & grey portrait takes roughly 1.5× the hours of fine line at the same size, and color realism more still. Placement matters too: ribs move with every breath, hands curve around knuckles, and both slow the work down: a 5 inch piece on ribs is a different job from a 5 inch piece on a forearm. The small tattoo cost guide prices the same 2 inch piece across placements, and the forearm tattoo cost guide compares inner, outer, and wrist.
How big a tattoo your budget buys
Most people shop the other direction: here is the money, how much tattoo is it? This is the same hourly model, reversed.
| Budget | Approx. hours | About that size | Reality check |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | About ½, 1 hr | 1 in or smaller | Below or at many shops' minimum. The minimum sets the real floor. |
| $200 | 1-1.5 hrs | 1-2 in (coin-sized) | The classic tiny-piece budget. |
| $500 | About 3 hrs | 3-4 in (credit card) | Comfortable territory for a detailed small piece. |
| $1,000 | About 6 hrs | 5-6 in (a hand span) | May be split over two sittings. |
| $2,000 | About 12 hrs | 8-10 in, or a small half sleeve | Multi-session work. Book it as a project. |
Assumes fine line / script on a flat spot at the $163/hr US average, before tip and deposit. Color realism and portraits take roughly 1.5-1.7× the hours, so the same budget buys roughly half the size.
Budget past $2,000? That is sleeve money: see what it buys in half sleeve tattoo cost and full sleeve tattoo cost.
How big is a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 inch tattoo?
The question people actually type, answered size by size. Each one is the chart row above, in plain language.
Measuring in centimeters instead? The tattoo size calculator converts any measurement in either direction.
- How big is a 1 inch tattoo?
- One inch is 2.5 cm, the size of a thumbnail. It is the smallest work most shops take on, and it is usually priced at the shop minimum rather than by the hour: $60-150 in most US studios, in the chair for under an hour. A single letter, a tiny symbol, or a short date fits at this size.
- How big is a 2 inch tattoo?
- Two inches is 5 cm, about the face of a watch. As a square, a 2 × 2 in piece takes 1-2 hours and runs $60-250 in fine line on an easy spot. It is the classic first-tattoo size: enough room for a small symbol or two short words, small enough to finish in one sitting without a second thought.
- How big is a 3 inch tattoo?
- Three inches is 7.5 cm, almost exactly a credit card, which is why that comparison sticks. A 3 × 3 in tattoo usually takes 1.5-3 hours and costs $100-350 in most shops. It reads clearly from a normal conversation distance, which is why script, small florals, and simple icons cluster here.
- How big is a 4 inch tattoo?
- Four inches is 10 cm, the span of an adult palm. A 4 × 4 in piece runs 2-4 hours and $150-500 in fine line on a flat spot. At this size a design stops reading as a mark and starts reading as a picture: an animal, a detailed symbol, or a short phrase with room to breathe.
- How big is a 5 inch tattoo?
- Five inches is 12.7 cm, usually rounded to 13 cm, about the length of a smartphone. As a square, a 5 × 5 in tattoo sits in the medium band: roughly 3-5 hours and $250-700 in fine line on an easy spot. It is a common ceiling for a first larger piece, and the point where artists start talking about a second session for dense work.
- How big is a 6 inch tattoo?
- Six inches is about 15 cm, an outstretched hand span. A 6 × 6 in piece takes 4-6 hours and costs $450-850 in most US shops in fine line. At this size detail has room to survive healing, so portraits and layered designs start appearing, and dense versions commonly get split across two sittings.
Tattoo size questions
The questions people actually ask before choosing a size. Something missing? Tell us and we will add it.
- How big is a $200 tattoo?
- At the US average of $163/hr, $200 buys roughly 1-1.5 hours of work, about a 2 × 2 in (5 × 5 cm) piece in fine line style on an easy spot. An artist at $100/hr can fit a 3 in design into the same budget, while a shop with a $150 minimum may not finish it at all. Tip and deposit are not included.
- Is 3 inches a small tattoo?
- Yes. A 3 × 3 in (7.5 × 7.5 cm) tattoo is squarely in the small range, about the size of a credit card. Most shops price it between $100 and $350, and it usually takes 1.5-3 hours. It can run longer if the design is dense: fine detail, lettering, or shading all add chair time at the same size.
- How big is a 1 hour tattoo?
- About 1-2 inches, a coin-sized symbol, a short word, or a simple outline. One hour is the shortest booking most shops allow, and many fold it into their $60-150 shop minimum instead of billing by the hour. Detail, shading, or a tricky spot like the ribs can push a design that size well past an hour.
- How do I know what size tattoo to get?
- Print the design at full scale and hold the paper against the spot: a ruler and a tape measure beat any online diagram. Cut it out and live with it for a few days before you commit. If you are torn between two sizes, the chart above shows what each step up in inches adds in session time and cost.
Size settled? The tattoo cost calculator turns it into a full estimate, placement and style included, in about thirty seconds.
Or start from the other end: the homepage’s average tattoo price by placement shows what each body area costs at the same size.
Planning something that wraps the arm? The sleeve tattoo cost guide breaks quarter, half, and full sleeves into coverage, session counts, and price bands. Already know which one? Go straight to half sleeve tattoo cost or full sleeve tattoo cost.
Just here for the money? The tattoo cost by size table prices every row above across three styles.
Working in centimeters, or measuring one side rather than a square? The tattoo size calculator converts a single measurement either way and names something familiar at that size.