Interpreting Scale

The vast majority of fire insurance maps were drawn at a scale of one inch to fifty feet (1:600) when expressed as a representative fraction. A smaller or less detailed scale of mapping was employed for suburban areas or large industrial sites. For these areas, scales of one inch to one hundred feet (1:1,200) or one inch to two hundred feet (1:4,800) were used. In rare instances, even smaller scales were used. Most map sheets contain a bar scale that facilitates the measurement of features or distances, and the scale is usually given in the title of the map as well.

How to interpret:

• Block Numbers
• Reports on Fire Protection
• Congested Districts
• Dates of Maps and Publications
• Sheet Numbers
• Indexes (Graphic, Special, Street)
• Water Systems