Side-by-Side Comparison
North American (ANSI & Arch)
US Legal vs. US Letter
Comparing 2 standards across 10 specifications. 10 key differences identified.
Comparing:
US Legal
US Letter
US Legal is a North American traditional paper size measuring 8.5 × 14.0 inches (215.9 × 355.6 mm). Sharing the 8.5-inch width of US Letter but extending 3 inches longer, it is used throughout the US and Canadian legal systems for courtroom trial transcripts, real estate deeds, and legislative statutes.
US Letter (ANSI A) is the standard business and consumer paper size in the United States, Canada, and parts of Mexico, measuring exactly 8.5 × 11.0 inches (215.9 × 279.4 mm). Standardized under ANSI/ASME Y14.1, it is slightly wider and shorter than the international ISO 216 A4 format.
Specification Comparison Table
10 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Width × Height (Imperial)
|
8.50 × 14.00 in | 8.50 × 11.00 in |
|
Width × Height (Metric)
|
215.9 × 355.6 mm | 215.9 × 279.4 mm |
|
Aspect Ratio
|
1 : 1.6471 (17 : 28) | 1 : 1.2941 (17 : 22 — not √2) |
|
Surface Area
|
119.0 in² (0.0768 m²) | — |
|
Height Comparison to Letter
|
+3.0 inches (76.2 mm) longer than standard US Letter | — |
|
Primary Applications
|
Court legal filings, real estate title contracts, commercial loan agreements, restaurant food menus | — |
|
ANSI Series Designation
|
— | ANSI A (Base engineering format) |
|
Comparison to ISO A4
|
— | US Letter is 5.9 mm wider and 17.6 mm shorter than A4 (210 × 297 mm) |
|
Standard Office Weight
|
— | 20 lb Bond (approx. 75 gsm) or 24 lb Bond (approx. 90 gsm) |
|
Matching Envelope Standard
|
— | US #10 Envelope (4.125 × 9.50 in / 104.8 × 241.3 mm) |