Rectangle Scale Factor Calculator
When a rectangle is scaled by factor k, every linear dimension (width, height, perimeter, diagonal) multiplies by k, but the area multiplies by k². Enter the original dimensions and the scale factor to see all scaled values at once.
New area after applying the scale factor (grows as k²)
- 1
Original area
5 × 3 = 15 - 2
Area scale factor
k² = 2 × 2 = 4Area scales as the square of the linear scale factor. - 3
Scaled width
k × w = 2 × 5 = 10 - 4
Scaled height
k × h = 2 × 3 = 6 - 5
Scaled area
10 × 6 = 60
How does this calculator work?
Scale a rectangle by factor k: new width = k·w, new height = k·h, new area = k²·(w·h). Linear dimensions (perimeter, diagonal) also scale by k. Doubling sides multiplies area by 4; halving sides reduces area to 25%.
Formula
How this is calculated
Scaling a 2-D shape means multiplying every length by the same factor k. For a rectangle with width w and height h: the scaled width is k·w, the scaled height is k·h, the scaled perimeter is k·2(w+h), and the scaled diagonal is k·√(w²+h²). All linear measurements scale by k.
The area, however, scales by k² because it is the product of two linear dimensions: new area = (k·w) × (k·h) = k²·(w·h). This is why doubling the side lengths quadruples the area, and halving them gives only one-quarter the original area.
Scale factors less than 1 shrink the rectangle (for example, k = 0.5 halves all sides and reduces area to 25%). Scale factors greater than 1 enlarge it. The aspect ratio (w/h) is preserved at any scale, so the original and scaled rectangles are geometrically similar.
Frequently asked questions
The area quadruples. With k = 2: new area = 2² × original area = 4 × original area. Linear dimensions scale as k, area scales as k².
Divide the new width by the original width: k = new width / original width. This works for any linear dimension — but not for area, where you would take the square root of the area ratio.
No. All interior angles remain 90° regardless of the scale factor, and the shape remains a rectangle. The diagonal angle with the sides may change only if you scale width and height by different factors (non-uniform scaling), which is not a simple scale factor.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Rectangle Scale Factor Calculator [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/rectangle-scale-factor-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Rectangle Scale Factor Calculator." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/rectangle-scale-factor-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Rectangle Scale Factor Calculator," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/rectangle-scale-factor-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_rectangle_scale_factor_calculator, title = {Rectangle Scale Factor Calculator}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/rectangle-scale-factor-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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