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How big is the Hindenburg?

Hindenburg airship · LZ 129 Hindenburg, German passenger zeppelin

Length
245 m 803 ft
Diameter
41.1 m 135 ft
Height
44.5 m 146 ft
Gas volume
200,000 m³ 7.063 million cu ft
Show
Human, Boeing 747, Statue of Liberty, Hindenburg airship drawn to the same scaleHuman: height 1.61–1.75 m. Boeing 747: length 70.67–76.25 m. Statue of Liberty: ground to tip of torch 92.99 m. Hindenburg airship: length 245 m.Human: 1.61–1.75 mBoeing 747: 70.67–76.25 mStatue of Liberty: 92.99 mHindenburg airship: 245 mStatue of Liberty92.99 mHindenburg airship245 mBoeing 74770.67–76.25 mHuman1.61–1.75 m
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 Hindenburg airship with something else →

Zoom out from an average adult to the Hindenburg

The Hindenburg 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 → Starship

    SpaceX's Starship is about 5.1–8.3 times as tall as a megalodon is long.

    Megalodon, Starship drawn to the same scaleMegalodon: maximum length (estimates) 15–24.3 m. Starship: full-stack height ≈ 124 m.Megalodon: 15–24.3 mStarship: ≈ 124 mStarship≈ 124 mMegalodon15–24.3 m
    Step 2: Megalodon and Starship at the same scale.

  3. Step 3 of 3 Starship → Hindenburg airship

    The Hindenburg is about 2 times as long as SpaceX's Starship is tall.

    Starship, Hindenburg airship drawn to the same scaleStarship: full-stack height ≈ 124 m. Hindenburg airship: length 245 m.Starship: ≈ 124 mHindenburg airship: 245 mStarship≈ 124 mHindenburg airship245 m
    Step 3: Starship and Hindenburg airship at the same scale.

Dimensions

MeasurementMetricImperialNotesSource
Length 245 m 803 ft Overall length per the National Air and Space Museum; Airships.net gives 803.8 ft (245 m) [1] [2]
Diameter 41.1 m 135 ft Maximum hull diameter; Airships.net gives 135.1 ft (41.2 m) [1] [2]
Height 44.5 m 146 ft Overall height as given by the National Air and Space Museum, taller than the hull diameter [1]
Gas volume 200,000 m³ 7.063 million cu ft Gas space of the 16 hydrogen cells; Airships.net gives 200,000 cubic metres (7,062,000 cubic feet) [1] [2]

About the Hindenburg

The LZ 129 Hindenburg was a German rigid airship that carried passengers across the Atlantic in 1936 and 1937. The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum gives it as 803 ft long and 135 ft in diameter, with 7,063,000 cubic feet of hydrogen held in 16 gas cells. It was destroyed by fire on May 6, 1937, in a disaster that killed 36 people.

  • Its four diesel engines produced 1,100 horsepower each. [1]
  • It could carry 50 passengers plus crew, and its transatlantic crossings took two to three days. [1]
  • It first flew on March 4, 1936, and was destroyed on May 6, 1937. [2]
  • Its cruising speed was 125 km/h (76 mph) and its top speed 135 km/h (84 mph). [2]

How many fit?

  • ≈ 150 × Human · height lined up end to end match the Hindenburg airship · length
  • ≈ 2.6 × Statue of Liberty · ground to tip of torch lined up end to end match the Hindenburg airship · 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

  • 150× The Hindenburg is about 150 times as long as an average adult is tall. See side by side
  • 2.6× The Hindenburg is about 2.6 times as long as the Statue of Liberty is tall. See side by side
  • 2× The Hindenburg is about 2 times as long as SpaceX's Starship is tall. See side by side
  • 1.8× The Hindenburg is about 1.8 times as long as the Great Pyramid of Giza is tall. See side by side
  • 1/1.3 The Eiffel Tower is about 1.3 times as tall as the Hindenburg is long. See side by side
  • 1/1.8 The Empire State Building is about 1.8 times as tall as the Hindenburg is long. See side by side

Factors compare the length of the Hindenburg 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 Smithsonian figures come from the description of an archival collection, not a dedicated specifications page. Airships.net, a specialist history site, gives slightly more precise figures (803.8 ft, 135.1 ft).
  • No source gave the airship's empty or gross weight; Airships.net lists a lift of 511,500 lb, which is not the same as its mass, so no mass is stored.

Sources

  1. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Zeppelin LZ 129 Hindenburg Menu (archival collection description). Accessed 25 September 2026.
  2. Airships.net, Hindenburg: Size and Speed. Accessed 25 September 2026.

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