B5 paper size
176 × 250 mm
6.93 × 9.84 inches · 17.6 × 25 cm · aspect ratio 1:1.42
B5 size is 176 × 250 mm. Those are the B5 dimensions a printer works to; the same sheet in centimetres, inches, points and pixels is below.
What B5 is for
B5 at 176 × 250 mm is one of the most widely used book sizes in the world — academic journals, textbooks and most Japanese and Chinese notebooks are B5. It is noticeably more comfortable to hold than A4 for long reading, which is most of the reason it persists.
B5 dimensions in every unit
| Unit | Width | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Millimetres | 176 mm | 250 mm |
| Centimetres | 17.6 cm | 25 cm |
| Inches | 6.93 in | 9.84 in |
| Points (PostScript) | 499 pt | 709 pt |
B5 in pixels
Pixel dimensions depend entirely on the resolution you are working at — there is no single "pixel size" for a sheet of paper. B5 size in pixels has every resolution, with file sizes and canvas setup.
| Resolution | Pixels | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 72 DPI | 499 × 709 | Screen preview only — far too coarse to print |
| 150 DPI | 1039 × 1476 | Draft printing, internal documents |
| 300 DPI | 2079 × 2953 | The standard for commercial print |
| 600 DPI | 4157 × 5906 | Fine detail, line art, archival scanning |
Setting up a print document? Use 300 DPI and add 3 mm of bleed on every edge unless your printer specifies otherwise.
How B5 relates to the rest of the series
B5 is B0 halved 5 times. Halving a sheet across its longer side is what generates the next size down, and because the sides are in a 1:√2 ratio the proportions survive every fold — which is the entire reason the series exists.
That makes 32 sheets of B5 exactly one sheet of B0, with nothing left over. The area works out at 0.0313 m², since B0 is defined as one square metre.
Scaling to the next size up or down is a factor of √2 ≈ 1.414 on each edge, so enlarging B5 to the next size is 141% on a photocopier and reducing it is 71%. Those two numbers are on the preset buttons of most copiers for exactly this reason, and they are the same for every size in the series.
About B5
A very common book and academic journal size, and standard for notebooks in Japan and China.
Other ISO B series sizes
| Size | Millimetres | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| B0 | 1000 × 1414 mm | 39.37 × 55.67 in |
| B1 | 707 × 1000 mm | 27.83 × 39.37 in |
| B2 | 500 × 707 mm | 19.69 × 27.83 in |
| B3 | 353 × 500 mm | 13.9 × 19.69 in |
| B4 | 250 × 353 mm | 9.84 × 13.9 in |
| B6 | 125 × 176 mm | 4.92 × 6.93 in |
| B7 | 88 × 125 mm | 3.46 × 4.92 in |
| B8 | 62 × 88 mm | 2.44 × 3.46 in |
| B9 | 44 × 62 mm | 1.73 × 2.44 in |
| B10 | 31 × 44 mm | 1.22 × 1.73 in |
Frequently asked questions
What size is B5 in mm?
176 × 250 mm.
What size is B5 in inches?
6.93 × 9.84 inches.
What size is B5 in pixels?
There is no single answer — it depends on resolution. At the print standard of 300 DPI it is 2079 × 2953 pixels; at 72 DPI it is only 499 × 709.