Screen dimensions
How big is a 42-inch screen?
A 42-inch screen in the usual 16:9 shape has a lit picture 36.6 inches wide and 20.6 inches high (93.0 x 52.3 cm). The 42 inches (106.7 cm) is the diagonal, corner to corner. The frame around the picture adds to the outside size.
| 42 in, 16:9 | Inches | Centimetres | Millimetres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Width, landscape | 36.6 in | 93.0 cm | 930 mm |
| Height, landscape | 20.6 in | 52.3 cm | 523 mm |
| Width, portrait | 20.6 in | 52.3 cm | 523 mm |
| Height, portrait | 36.6 in | 93.0 cm | 930 mm |
| Diagonal | 42 in | 106.7 cm | 1067 mm |
| Picture area | 754 sq in | 5.2 sq ft (0.486 m²) | |
These are worked from the diagonal and the 16:9 shape, so they describe the lit picture only. A real panel can differ by a few millimetres, and the outside of the cabinet is larger by the width of its frame. Use the drawing of the exact model for a cut-out, a recess or a tight alcove.
How far away can people read a 42-inch screen?
It depends on how much text you put on it. Fewer lines means bigger letters, and bigger letters read from farther away. Each distance below is the farthest point where that much text still fits at a letter height people can read.
| On the screen | Tallest capital letters that fit | Landscape, read from up to | Portrait, read from up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| One short line A sign or a room name | 6.4 in (161 mm) | 191 ft (58.1 m) 127 ft (38.7 m) for fast reading | 107 ft (32.7 m) 71 ft (21.8 m) for fast reading |
| Three short lines One message on a slide | 4.0 in (103 mm) | 121 ft (36.9 m) 81 ft (24.6 m) for fast reading | 71 ft (21.8 m) 48 ft (14.5 m) for fast reading |
| A list of eight lines A menu, a schedule or a directory | 1.5 in (38 mm) | 45 ft (13.8 m) 30 ft (9.2 m) for fast reading | 48 ft (14.5 m) 32 ft (9.7 m) for fast reading |
| Pictures and video Little or no small text | Not applicable | Works well to 17 ft (5.2 m) 27 ft (8.4 m) is the limit | Works well to 31 ft (9.3 m) 49 ft (14.9 m) is the limit |
We plan on 1 inch of capital letter height for every 30 feet of distance, the road-sign planning figure reported by Federal Highway Administration research, which assumes 20/40 vision. 20 feet per inch is the safer figure for fast reading. A line takes 1.7 times the capital height. For pictures and video our rule of thumb is 10 times the picture height, with 16 times as the limit. Thin fonts, weak contrast and glare all shorten these distances. To start from the distance instead, use the viewing distance calculator.
A 42-inch screen next to the sizes around it
| Size | Picture, W x H | Difference in width | Difference in height | Picture area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 in | 34.9 x 19.6 in (88.6 x 49.8 cm) | 1.7 in (4.4 cm) narrower | 1.0 in (2.5 cm) shorter | The 42 is 10% larger |
| 42 in | 36.6 x 20.6 in (93.0 x 52.3 cm) | This size | This size | 5.2 sq ft |
| 43 in | 37.5 x 21.1 in (95.2 x 53.5 cm) | 0.9 in (2.2 cm) wider | 0.5 in (1.2 cm) taller | The 43 is 5% larger |
Area grows with the square of the diagonal, so a small step in inches is a bigger step in picture. See every size in one table.
Drawn to scale, side by side:42 vs 43 inch
Pixel size on a 42-inch screen
The same resolution spread over a bigger picture makes bigger pixels. From the distance in the last column, a person with normal eyesight no longer sees separate pixels.
| Resolution | Pixel pitch | Pixels per inch | Pixels blend from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full HD, 1920 x 1080 | 0.484 mm | 52 | 5.5 ft (1.7 m) |
| 4K, 3840 x 2160 | 0.242 mm | 105 | 2.7 ft (0.8 m) |
Pixels blend where one pixel takes up about one arcminute of your vision. Whether a given model is HD, Full HD or 4K is on its own spec sheet.
Video walls made of 42-inch screens
| Layout | Screens | Picture, W x H | In feet | Overall diagonal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 across | 2 | 73.2 x 20.6 in (186.0 x 52.3 cm) | 6.1 x 1.7 ft | 76 in |
| 2 high | 2 | 36.6 x 41.2 in (93.0 x 104.6 cm) | 3.1 x 3.4 ft | 55 in |
| 2 x 2 | 4 | 73.2 x 41.2 in (186.0 x 104.6 cm) | 6.1 x 3.4 ft | 84 in |
| 3 across | 3 | 109.8 x 20.6 in (278.9 x 52.3 cm) | 9.2 x 1.7 ft | 112 in |
| 3 x 3 | 9 | 109.8 x 61.8 in (278.9 x 156.9 cm) | 9.2 x 5.1 ft | 126 in |
| 4 x 4 | 16 | 146.4 x 82.4 in (371.9 x 209.2 cm) | 12.2 x 6.9 ft | 168 in |
Landscape screens, picture only. Every frame between two screens adds a gap, so the finished wall is a little larger than this. Add the frame width from the drawing for each join.
Other shapes with a 42-inch diagonal
The diagonal alone does not fix the width. A squarer screen with the same diagonal is narrower and taller, and it has more picture area.
| Shape | Where you find it | Width x height | Area against 16:9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16:9 | Most signage displays, TVs and monitors | 36.6 x 20.6 in (93.0 x 52.3 cm) | 100% |
| 16:10 | Laptops, tablets and many small panels | 35.6 x 22.3 in (90.5 x 56.5 cm) | 105% |
| 4:3 | Older monitors and some kiosks | 33.6 x 25.2 in (85.3 x 64.0 cm) | 112% |
| 5:4 | Older 17 and 19 inch monitors | 32.8 x 26.2 in (83.3 x 66.6 cm) | 114% |
| 21:9 | Ultrawide monitors | 38.6 x 16.5 in (98.1 x 42.0 cm) | 85% |
| 32:9 | Stretched bar displays and super-ultrawide monitors | 40.4 x 11.4 in (102.7 x 28.9 cm) | 61% |
Questions
How many cm is 42 inches?
42 inches is 106.7 cm (1067 mm). On a screen that length is the diagonal, so a 42-inch 16:9 picture is 93.0 cm wide and 52.3 cm high.
How wide is a 42-inch screen?
The lit picture of a 42-inch 16:9 screen is 36.6 inches wide (93.0 cm) and 20.6 inches high (52.3 cm). The frame around it adds to both, so read the outline on the drawing of the exact model before you cut or build anything.
How tall is a 42-inch screen in portrait?
Turned upright, the same picture is 20.6 inches wide (52.3 cm) and 36.6 inches tall (93.0 cm), plus the frame. Check that the model is built to run in portrait before you turn it.
Is 42 inches the width of the screen?
No. 42 inches (106.7 cm) is the diagonal of the lit picture, measured corner to corner. A 16:9 screen is about 87 percent of its diagonal wide and 49 percent of its diagonal high.