Scale Explorer

Buildings

How tall is the Empire State Building?

Empire State Building

Height to tip
443.2 m 1,454 ft
Height (architectural)
381 m 1,250 ft
Height to highest occupied floor
373.1 m 1,224 ft
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Human, Starship, Gateway Arch, Empire State Building drawn to the same scaleHuman: height 1.61–1.75 m (too small to see at this scale). Starship: full-stack height ≈ 124 m. Gateway Arch: maximum height 192 m. Empire State Building: height to tip 443.2 m.Human: 1.61–1.75 m (too small to see at this scale)Starship: ≈ 124 mGateway Arch: 192 mEmpire State Building: 443.2 mEmpire State Building443.2 mGateway Arch192 mStarship≈ 124 mHuman1.61–1.75 m · too small to see

Human is too small to see at this scale and is marked with ▲.

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.

Compare Empire State Building with something else →

Zoom out from an average adult to the Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is too big to show next to an average adult in one picture, so here it is in 3 steps. Each step is drawn to its own scale and zooms out from the step before.

  1. Step 1 of 3 Human → Megalodon

    A megalodon is about 8.6–15 times as long as an average adult is tall.

    Human, Megalodon drawn to the same scaleHuman: height 1.61–1.75 m. Megalodon: maximum length (estimates) 15–24.3 m.Human: 1.61–1.75 mMegalodon: 15–24.3 mMegalodon15–24.3 mHuman1.61–1.75 m
    Step 1: Human and Megalodon at the same scale.

  2. Step 2 of 3 Megalodon → Great Pyramid of Giza

    The Great Pyramid of Giza is about 5.6–9.1 times as tall as a megalodon is long.

    Megalodon, Great Pyramid of Giza drawn to the same scaleMegalodon: maximum length (estimates) 15–24.3 m. Great Pyramid of Giza: current height ≈ 137 m.Megalodon: 15–24.3 mGreat Pyramid of Giza: ≈ 137 mGreat Pyramid of Giza≈ 137 mMegalodon15–24.3 m
    Step 2: Megalodon and Great Pyramid of Giza at the same scale.

  3. Step 3 of 3 Great Pyramid of Giza → Empire State Building

    The Empire State Building is about 3.2 times as tall as the Great Pyramid of Giza.

    Great Pyramid of Giza, Empire State Building drawn to the same scaleGreat Pyramid of Giza: current height ≈ 137 m. Empire State Building: height to tip 443.2 m.Great Pyramid of Giza: ≈ 137 mEmpire State Building: 443.2 mEmpire State Building443.2 mGreat Pyramid of Giza≈ 137 m
    Step 3: Great Pyramid of Giza and Empire State Building at the same scale.

Dimensions

MeasurementMetricImperialNotesSource
Height to tip 443.2 m 1,454 ft CTBUH height to tip, including the antenna (1,454 ft) [1]
Height (architectural) 381 m 1,250 ft CTBUH height to architectural top (1,250 ft); the owners give 1,250 ft as the height to the roof of the 102nd floor [1]
Height to highest occupied floor 373.1 m 1,224 ft CTBUH occupied height (1,224 ft) [1]

About the Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is a 102-storey skyscraper in Manhattan, New York City, completed in 1931 after about 13 months of construction. CTBUH puts its architectural top at 381 m (1,250 ft), and the spire and broadcast antenna take it to 443.2 m (1,454 ft).

  • The building's owners give its height as 1,454 feet (443 meters) including the spire and antenna, and 1,250 feet to the roof of the 102nd floor. [2]
  • It has 102 floors above ground and 1 below ground. [1]
  • The building weighs 365,000 tons, according to its official site. [2]
  • The 86th-floor observatory is 1,050 feet (320 meters) above the ground. [2]
  • It was completed in 1931 after 13 months (410 days) of construction. [2]

How many fit?

  • ≈ 260 × Human · height lined up end to end match the Empire State Building · height to tip
  • ≈ 2.3 × Gateway Arch · maximum height lined up end to end match the Empire State Building · height to tip

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

  • 260× The Empire State Building is about 260 times as tall as an average adult. See side by side
  • 2.3× The Empire State Building is about 2.3 times as tall as the Gateway Arch. See side by side
  • 1.6× The Empire State Building is about 1.6 times as tall as the Titanic is long. See side by side
  • 1.1× The Empire State Building is about as tall as a container ship is long. See side by side
  • 1/1.2 One World Trade Center is about 1.2 times as tall as the Empire State Building. See side by side
  • 1/1.9 The Burj Khalifa is about 1.9 times as tall as the Empire State Building. See side by side

Factors compare the height to tip of the Empire State Building 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

  • The official ESB page converts 1,250 ft to 380 m in one sentence and to 381 m in another; CTBUH gives 381 m. The CTBUH metric values are used for the measures. The two sources agree on 1,454 ft to the tip and 1,250 ft to the roof.
  • The official site gives the weight as '365,000 tons' without saying whether these are short or metric tons, so it is recorded only as a fact.

Sources

  1. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (The Skyscraper Center), Empire State Building - The Skyscraper Center. Accessed 24 September 2026.
  2. Empire State Realty Trust (Empire State Building official site), Empire State Building Facts & Figures. Accessed 24 September 2026.

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