28mm vs 32mm miniatures: the size difference and mixing them

28mm and 32mm miniatures differ by 4 mm of height: 32 / 28 = 1.143, so a 32mm figure is 14.3% taller. Scaled from 28mm to 32mm, a figure holds 1.143³ = 1.49 times the volume. As ratios, 28mm is about 1:56 to 1:64 and 32mm about 1:50 to 1:54, depending on the real height the maker assumes and whether the figure is measured to the eyes or to the top of the head.

What is the difference between 28mm and 32mm miniatures?

A 32mm miniature is 4 mm taller than a 28mm one: 1.26 in against 1.10 in, or 14.3% taller. For a 1.73 m person measured to the top of the head, 28mm works out to 1:61.8 and 32mm to 1:54.1. Bulk varies too: heroic sculpts with oversized heads and weapons look bigger than their height suggests.

	28mm	32mm
Figure height, base excluded	28 mm (1.10 in)	32 mm (1.26 in)
Wikipedia’s ratio	≈1:62 to 1:64	≈1:54
Range in use	1:56 to 1:64	1:50 to 1:54
1.73 m person, top of head	1:61.8	1:54.1
Same person, 1.61 m eye height	1:57.5	1:50.3
A 2.0 m door	32.4 mm (1.27 in)	37.0 mm (1.46 in)
Volume of the same sculpt	1	1.49

The 1.73 m and 1.61 m references are The Miniatures Page’s average man, measured to the top of the head and to the eyes. The 1:56 end of the 28mm range is the vehicle scale of Perry Miniatures and Warlord Games. Wikipedia’s list of scale model sizes gives 1:50 for 32mm heroic figures.

Proportions and the measuring point

Two ranges sold at the same size can still look a size apart, for two reasons:

• Proportions. Wikipedia describes many gaming figures as “unrealistically bulky for their height” and calls this heroic scale: oversized heads, hands, feet and weapons. The Miniatures Page adds that figures sold at one scale differ in build, head size and sculpting style, even from one maker. Some aim at scale replicas, others at gaming pieces.
• Measuring point. Some makers measure from the feet to the eyes instead of the top of the head. Wikipedia notes that a figure 30 mm tall overall can then be sold as 28mm. At the reference heights above, 28 mm to the eyes is 28 × 1,730 / 1,610 = 30.1 mm overall, so the gap to a 32mm figure measured to the top of the head shrinks from 14.3% to 6.4%.

Where the two sizes come from

Figures have grown over time. Wikipedia calls this scale creep: bigger details come out better and larger surfaces are easier to paint. As long as buyers keep choosing larger models, makers have a reason to keep making them larger. The size labels moved with the figures:

• Games Workshop used 28mm in the first editions of its games, then introduced a 30mm heroic size for Warhammer 40,000, according to Wikipedia. The Miniatures Page notes that Games Workshop’s “25mm” figures measure closer to 28mm.
• Perry Miniatures is run by Alan and Michael Perry, whom the company introduces as 28mm sculptors. It sells its vehicles at 1/56th to match the figures.
• Warlord Games describes Bolt Action as a 28mm wargame, and the plastic vehicles it makes with Italeri are 1:56.
• 32mm is the most common size for modern wargaming miniatures, Wikipedia says, with some figures reaching 35mm.

Base sizes

The game sets the base, not the figure’s height. Games Workshop’s Base Size Guide for Warhammer 40,000 (October 2026) puts infantry from the same game on three round sizes:

Units	Round base
Cadian Shock Troops, Catachan Jungle Fighters	25 mm (0.98 in)
Kasrkin, Scout Squad, Guardian Defenders	28.5 mm (1.12 in)
Tactical Squad, Intercessor Squad, Necron Warriors, Boyz	32 mm (1.26 in)

Games Workshop says the guide exists to settle base sizes in matched play and is not a requirement for every game. Bases also change how big a figure looks. Wikipedia notes that modern 30mm figures can be close to 1:64 yet “appear larger due to bulky sculpting and thick bases”.

Can you mix 28mm and 32mm miniatures?

Yes, with one catch. Two figures of the same type show the 14.3% gap: at the 28mm scale, the 32mm figure stands like a 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) person beside a 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) one. Different troop types and monsters hide it better. Printed files close it: scale a 28mm file to 114.29%.

The gap shows most in two places:

• The same troop type, side by side. Figures in one unit or rank invite a head-to-head comparison. Heroic bulk on the 32mm figures adds to the difference.
• Terrain made for one size. A 2.0 m door at 28mm is 32.4 mm tall. A 32mm figure stands 32 mm to the top of its head, so it clears that door by 0.4 mm. At 32mm the same door is 37.0 mm.

It fades in two others:

• Different creatures. In 28mm, Wikipedia notes, dwarves and goblins can be 15 to 20 mm figures and ogres or dragons 30 mm or more. Heights already vary across the table. A 32mm hero, monster or separate squad has no same-type figure beside it for comparison.
• Vehicles. 1:56, the vehicle scale Perry and Warlord make for 28mm, falls between the two ratios: 1:61.8 for 28mm and 1:54.1 for 32mm at the 1.73 m reference.

The Miniatures Page suggests ordering samples before mixing two product lines, because builds differ even within one scale. With STL files, one test print at each size does the same job.

Printing a 28mm file at 32mm

The miniature scale calculator gives the slicer percentage for any pair of scales and a figure’s new height; 32mm down to 28mm is 87.5%. Scaling changes more than the height:

1. The base grows with the figure, 14.29% wider. A 25 mm base comes out 25 × 32 / 28 = 28.6 mm, close to Games Workshop’s 28.5 mm size, and a 32 mm base printed down to 28mm comes out 28 mm. If your game sets base sizes, cut the base off before scaling and glue the figure to a stock base.
2. Material grows with the volume. Scaled up to 32mm, a solid resin figure takes 1.49 times the resin; scaled down to 28mm, it takes 0.875³ = 0.67 times. A sliced filament print grows less, because its walls keep their set thickness. The print weight calculator gives the grams.
3. Thin parts shrink on the way down. A 1 mm sword blade on a 32mm file is 0.88 mm at 28mm.