Scale Explorer

Everyday objects

How big is a US dollar bill?

US dollar bill · Current-size US banknote (series 1928 onward)

Length
15.6 cm 6.14 in
Width
6.63 cm 2.61 in
Weight
≈ 1 g 0.0022 lb approx.
Show
AA battery, Tennis ball, US dollar bill, Human drawn to the same scaleAA battery: overall height 49.5–50.5 mm. Tennis ball: diameter 6.54–6.86 cm. US dollar bill: length 15.6 cm. Human: height 1.61–1.75 m.AA battery: 49.5–50.5 mmTennis ball: 6.54–6.86 cmUS dollar bill: 15.6 cmHuman: 1.61–1.75 mHuman1.61–1.75 mTennis ball6.54–6.86 cmUS dollar bill15.6 cmAA battery49.5–50.5 mm
Everything is drawn to the same scale, standing on the same ground line. Silhouettes are simplified outlines scaled to the measured dimension. A faded outline shows the top of a size range.

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Dimensions

MeasurementMetricImperialNotesSource
Length 15.6 cm 6.14 in Long side of a current-size note [1]
Width 6.63 cm 2.61 in Short side of a current-size note [1]
Weight ≈ 1 g ≈ 0.0022 lb Approximate weight of a note of any denomination. Approximate [2]

About the US dollar bill

US paper money has been printed at its present size since the 1928 series, when the older large-format notes were reduced. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing gives that present size as 6.14 by 2.61 inches. A note of any denomination weighs about one gram, and the paper is made of 75% cotton and 25% linen.

  • Before the 1928 series, US notes were larger, measuring 7.375 by 3.125 inches. [1]
  • A note can take about 4,000 double folds (forward, then backward) before it tears. [2]
  • Currency paper is 75% cotton and 25% linen. [2]

How many fit?

  • ≈ 11 × US dollar bill · length lined up end to end match the Human · height
  • ≈ 84,000 × US dollar bill · weight on the scales weigh as much as Human · body mass
  • ≈ 3.1 × AA battery · overall height lined up end to end match the US dollar bill · length

Counts divide one sourced figure by another. "End to end" uses each object's main measurement; weight and volume rows appear only when both figures are sourced.

How it compares

  • 3.1× A US dollar bill is about 3.1 times as long as an AA battery is tall. See side by side
  • 1.8× A US dollar bill is about 1.8 times as long as a credit card is wide. See side by side
  • 1× A US dollar bill is about as long as a smartphone is tall. See side by side
  • 1/4.4 A soccer ball is about 4.4 times as around as a US dollar bill is long. See side by side
  • 1/1.9 A sheet of A4 paper is about 1.9 times as tall as a US dollar bill is long. See side by side
  • 1/11 An average adult is about 11 times as tall as a US dollar bill is long. See side by side

Factors compare the length of a US dollar bill with each object’s own main measurement (height for a human). Where a size varies, the factor is given as a range.

Notes on these figures

  • Note thickness is left out because it was not found on a BEP page fetched for this entry.

Sources

  1. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, U.S. Department of the Treasury, BEP History Fact Sheet. Accessed 25 September 2026.
  2. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Currency FAQs. Accessed 25 September 2026.

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