Dice Art Size Calculator: How Many Dice, How Big
A dice portrait is columns × rows dice, and each die adds its own width to the piece. A 50×50 grid is 2,500 dice and 80 × 80 cm (31 × 31 in) with 16 mm dice. The tables below cover every grid the Diceify editor can make.
The quick answer
Two multiplications answer both questions. Dice = columns × rows. Size = dice per side × die size. So a 50×50 square is 2,500 dice, and at 16 mm per die it is 80 × 80 cm before the frame. Swap in 12 mm dice and the same pattern shrinks to 60 × 60 cm.
If you are new to all this, start with the complete dice art guide. It explains why a portrait needs both black and white dice and how the pattern gets made. This page is only about numbers.
How the math works
In the Diceify editor you choose the number of rows, from 20 to 120. The columns follow the shape of your crop: columns = rows × (width ÷ height), rounded to the nearest whole die. A square crop gives as many columns as rows. A 3:4 portrait crop at 60 rows gives 45 columns, so 2,700 dice. A 16:9 crop at 40 rows gives 71 columns, so 2,840 dice.
The sizes assume dice laid edge to edge with no gaps. Real dice have slightly rounded corners, so a tight build comes out a hair under the table. Add your frame or board edge on top. All sizes are rounded to whole centimetres and inches.
Why rows and not columns? Because the height of a face is what you look at. Pick the rows that give a face enough detail, and the width takes care of itself. The editor prints the grid as columns × rows under the preview (for example 45×60), with the dice count beside it, so you never have to do this sum by hand. The tables are here for planning before you upload, and for checking a board or a frame against a grid you already have.
Die size is the other half. Sixteen millimetres is the standard game die and the one most bulk bags contain. Twelve millimetres gives the same pattern at three-quarters of the width, and 10 mm at five-eighths. Nothing else changes: the dice count, the pattern and the build time are the same for any die size. Only the finished size and the weight move.
Size tables by aspect ratio
One table per crop ratio, in the ratios the editor offers. Columns are what the editor will produce for that row count. Sizes are width × height of the dice alone.
Square (1:1)
| Rows | Columns | Dice | 16 mm dice | 12 mm dice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 20 | 400 | 32 × 32 cm 13 × 13 in | 24 × 24 cm 9 × 9 in |
| 30 | 30 | 900 | 48 × 48 cm 19 × 19 in | 36 × 36 cm 14 × 14 in |
| 40 | 40 | 1,600 | 64 × 64 cm 25 × 25 in | 48 × 48 cm 19 × 19 in |
| 50 | 50 | 2,500 | 80 × 80 cm 31 × 31 in | 60 × 60 cm 24 × 24 in |
| 60 | 60 | 3,600 | 96 × 96 cm 38 × 38 in | 72 × 72 cm 28 × 28 in |
| 70 | 70 | 4,900 | 112 × 112 cm 44 × 44 in | 84 × 84 cm 33 × 33 in |
| 80 | 80 | 6,400 | 128 × 128 cm 50 × 50 in | 96 × 96 cm 38 × 38 in |
| 100 | 100 | 10,000 | 160 × 160 cm 63 × 63 in | 120 × 120 cm 47 × 47 in |
| 120 | 120 | 14,400 | 192 × 192 cm 76 × 76 in | 144 × 144 cm 57 × 57 in |
Portrait (3:4, portrait)
| Rows | Columns | Dice | 16 mm dice | 12 mm dice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 15 | 300 | 24 × 32 cm 9 × 13 in | 18 × 24 cm 7 × 9 in |
| 30 | 23 | 690 | 37 × 48 cm 14 × 19 in | 28 × 36 cm 11 × 14 in |
| 40 | 30 | 1,200 | 48 × 64 cm 19 × 25 in | 36 × 48 cm 14 × 19 in |
| 50 | 38 | 1,900 | 61 × 80 cm 24 × 31 in | 46 × 60 cm 18 × 24 in |
| 60 | 45 | 2,700 | 72 × 96 cm 28 × 38 in | 54 × 72 cm 21 × 28 in |
| 70 | 53 | 3,710 | 85 × 112 cm 33 × 44 in | 64 × 84 cm 25 × 33 in |
| 80 | 60 | 4,800 | 96 × 128 cm 38 × 50 in | 72 × 96 cm 28 × 38 in |
| 100 | 75 | 7,500 | 120 × 160 cm 47 × 63 in | 90 × 120 cm 35 × 47 in |
| 120 | 90 | 10,800 | 144 × 192 cm 57 × 76 in | 108 × 144 cm 43 × 57 in |
Landscape (4:3, landscape)
| Rows | Columns | Dice | 16 mm dice | 12 mm dice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 27 | 540 | 43 × 32 cm 17 × 13 in | 32 × 24 cm 13 × 9 in |
| 30 | 40 | 1,200 | 64 × 48 cm 25 × 19 in | 48 × 36 cm 19 × 14 in |
| 40 | 53 | 2,120 | 85 × 64 cm 33 × 25 in | 64 × 48 cm 25 × 19 in |
| 50 | 67 | 3,350 | 107 × 80 cm 42 × 31 in | 80 × 60 cm 32 × 24 in |
| 60 | 80 | 4,800 | 128 × 96 cm 50 × 38 in | 96 × 72 cm 38 × 28 in |
| 70 | 93 | 6,510 | 149 × 112 cm 59 × 44 in | 112 × 84 cm 44 × 33 in |
| 80 | 107 | 8,560 | 171 × 128 cm 67 × 50 in | 128 × 96 cm 51 × 38 in |
| 100 | 133 | 13,300 | 213 × 160 cm 84 × 63 in | 160 × 120 cm 63 × 47 in |
| 120 | 160 | 19,200 | 256 × 192 cm 101 × 76 in | 192 × 144 cm 76 × 57 in |
Tall portrait (2:3, portrait)
| Rows | Columns | Dice | 16 mm dice | 12 mm dice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 13 | 260 | 21 × 32 cm 8 × 13 in | 16 × 24 cm 6 × 9 in |
| 30 | 20 | 600 | 32 × 48 cm 13 × 19 in | 24 × 36 cm 9 × 14 in |
| 40 | 27 | 1,080 | 43 × 64 cm 17 × 25 in | 32 × 48 cm 13 × 19 in |
| 50 | 33 | 1,650 | 53 × 80 cm 21 × 31 in | 40 × 60 cm 16 × 24 in |
| 60 | 40 | 2,400 | 64 × 96 cm 25 × 38 in | 48 × 72 cm 19 × 28 in |
| 70 | 47 | 3,290 | 75 × 112 cm 30 × 44 in | 56 × 84 cm 22 × 33 in |
| 80 | 53 | 4,240 | 85 × 128 cm 33 × 50 in | 64 × 96 cm 25 × 38 in |
| 100 | 67 | 6,700 | 107 × 160 cm 42 × 63 in | 80 × 120 cm 32 × 47 in |
| 120 | 80 | 9,600 | 128 × 192 cm 50 × 76 in | 96 × 144 cm 38 × 57 in |
Wide (16:9, landscape)
| Rows | Columns | Dice | 16 mm dice | 12 mm dice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 36 | 720 | 58 × 32 cm 23 × 13 in | 43 × 24 cm 17 × 9 in |
| 30 | 53 | 1,590 | 85 × 48 cm 33 × 19 in | 64 × 36 cm 25 × 14 in |
| 40 | 71 | 2,840 | 114 × 64 cm 45 × 25 in | 85 × 48 cm 34 × 19 in |
| 50 | 89 | 4,450 | 142 × 80 cm 56 × 31 in | 107 × 60 cm 42 × 24 in |
| 60 | 107 | 6,420 | 171 × 96 cm 67 × 38 in | 128 × 72 cm 51 × 28 in |
| 70 | 124 | 8,680 | 198 × 112 cm 78 × 44 in | 149 × 84 cm 59 × 33 in |
| 80 | 142 | 11,360 | 227 × 128 cm 89 × 50 in | 170 × 96 cm 67 × 38 in |
| 100 | 178 | 17,800 | 285 × 160 cm 112 × 63 in | 214 × 120 cm 84 × 47 in |
| 120 | 213 | 25,560 | 341 × 192 cm 134 × 76 in | 256 × 144 cm 101 × 57 in |
Need a row count that is not in the table? Multiply yourself: columns × die size for the width, rows × die size for the height, both in millimetres. Or set the rows in the editor and read the grid size and dice count off the screen.
Dice per square foot
This is the number to use when you start from the wall, not the photo. A foot is 304.8 mm, so a 16 mm die goes 19.05 times along a foot, and a square foot holds 363 dice. Smaller dice pack in fast: the count grows with the square of the size change.
| Die size | Dice per foot | Dice per square foot | Dice per square metre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 mm | 19.05 | 363 | 3,906 |
| 12 mm | 25.40 | 645 | 6,944 |
| 10 mm | 30.48 | 929 | 10,000 |
Example: you have a 2 × 3 ft space. With 16 mm dice that is about 2,178 dice; with 12 mm dice about 3,870. Then pick the row count whose total in the table above lands near that, and let the generator work out the exact grid.
Black vs white counts
The total tells you the size. The split tells you what to buy. A portrait made with both colours is rarely half and half: a dark photo with a dark background might be two-thirds black dice, a bright one the reverse. The split also moves when you change the contrast or brightness slider, because dice flip from one colour to the other as cells cross the middle of the scale.
Under the preview, Diceify shows three numbers: the total, the black count and the white count, with a bar between them. They update live while you tune. When the picture looks right, write the two counts down. They are your shopping list, and how many dice to buy explains the spares to add on top.
Pick the grid for the photo and the wall
There is no single right size. Two things decide it: how much detail the photo needs, and how much wall you have.
- 20–30 rows (400–900 dice): a bold shape, a logo, or a face cropped very tight. Fast to build and cheap to try.
- 40–60 rows (1,600–3,600 dice): the sweet spot for a single face. Eyes, nose and mouth read clearly from across a room.
- 70–120 rows (4,900 dice and up): two people, a pet with fine fur, or a photo you want to read up close. Big and heavy, so plan the board first.
The photo matters as much as the count. A clean crop with strong contrast reads at 30 rows; a busy group shot struggles at 100. See photos that read well in dice before you settle on a grid, and browse the gallery for finished pieces with their grid sizes.
Then pick the die size for the wall. If 50 rows is right for the photo but 80 cm is too wide for the space, 12 mm dice give you the same pattern at 60 cm. Read the exact numbers for your grid in the editor and start building when the counts match what you have.
Weight and cost
Weight and cost figures are coming once we have measured them on a real order and a real build; we would rather publish nothing than a guess.
Turn your photo into a dice pattern
Upload a photo, pick the grid, and see the exact dice count before you buy anything. Free, no account needed.
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