How big is a 30 cm tattoo?
updated
A 30 cm tattoo is 30 cm (11.8 in) on its longest side, about a foot, or the long side of an A4 sheet. It is a large piece for the back, thigh, chest or ribs, too long for any forearm. Studios estimate pieces this size at well over ten hours of tattooing, spread across several sessions.
How big is 30 cm?
Thirty centimetres is 11.8 inches, a few millimetres short of a foot (12 inches is 30.5 cm). An A4 sheet is 29.7 cm long, so hold one up against your back or thigh and you have the size almost exactly; a US letter sheet is a little shorter at 27.9 cm. Two smartphones end to end come to roughly 30 cm. A bank card would go into it three and a half times.
At this size the shape matters as much as the length. A 30 × 10 cm design running down the spine or the outer thigh is long and narrow; a 30 × 30 cm piece across the upper back covers a great deal more skin and takes far longer. Tattoo sizes are quoted by the longest side, so give your artist both measurements.
30 cm, 12 inches and 16 inches
People search for large tattoos in both units, and the numbers sit close enough to cause confusion. A 12 inch tattoo is 30.5 cm, the same piece as this page. A 16 inch tattoo is 40.6 cm, which is at the top of the usual range for a full back piece: the size chart puts a full back at 20–40 cm, and Bosphorus Ink's back range runs from 15 to 40 cm and up. A 30 inch tattoo would be 76 cm, two and a half times the size shown here. If a design has been described to you in inches, convert it before you book so you know which of these you are planning.
What a 30 cm tattoo looks like on the back, thigh and chest
A forearm can't take 30 cm, so this page shows the three placements that can. The framing is the same as on the other size pages (60 cm of body top to bottom for the back and the thigh, 50 cm for the chest), so you can compare with the 20 cm page directly. At 30 cm the rhinoceros fills half the back picture's height, the elephant half the thigh picture, and the eagle 60% of the chest picture. The bodies are plaster casts scaled to adult proportions.
Which placements can take a 30 cm tattoo?
The Sydney Tattoo Convention guide lists 20–30 cm for a full back, full leg, chest or side rib, and over 30 cm for back pieces, body suits and the torso. Bosphorus Ink calls 16–30 cm large and anything over 30 cm a full composition. A 30 cm tattoo sits at the top of large on every area that can hold it.
- The back is the natural home for 30 cm. A full back piece runs 20–40 cm, so 30 cm covers the upper back from shoulder to shoulder or runs from the shoulder blades well down towards the waist, depending on its shape. A long, narrow design can follow the spine.
- The thigh takes 20–35 cm as a large piece. At 30 cm a design runs most of the way from hip to knee on the outer thigh, and anything wide wraps to the front and back of the leg.
- The chest: large chest work is 20–30 cm across both sides. A 30 cm design spans the chest from one shoulder to the other or covers one side and spills over the shoulder, and has to work with the breastbone in the middle.
- The ribs take 20–30 cm along the side of the body, from under the arm towards the hip.
- The forearm, upper arm and calf top out at 20–25 cm. A 30 cm design on an arm or lower leg becomes part of a sleeve, and is planned as one.
How a large piece is planned
A tattoo this size is drawn for one body. The artist works out where it starts and ends against your shoulder blades, hip or collarbone, how it follows the muscles underneath, and how it looks when you move. A flat drawing at 30 cm rarely transfers to the back or thigh unchanged: the back curves over the shoulder blades and the thigh is round, so the design is reshaped to sit on the body. Bring measurements of the area to the consultation, and pictures of the design on a body from more than one side if you have them.
Large pieces also leave room for what comes next. A 30 cm piece on the upper back can grow into a full back later; one on the outer thigh can become a full leg. If you think you may add to it, say so before the drawing starts.
What detail works at 30 cm?
At 30 cm, detail is limited mainly by time. Bosphorus Ink lists detailed floral compositions at 12–25 cm and ornamental work up to 25 cm on the back, so 30 cm can take any of those with room for a background. Lines can be spaced widely, so the slight spreading of ink over years that Vatican Tattoo Studio and Black Hat Tattoo describe barely affects the overall picture. What matters more at this size is the composition: a large piece reads first as a silhouette and a pattern of light and dark, from several metres away, and only up close as detail.
How long does a 30 cm tattoo take?
Many hours over several sessions. Skin Design Tattoos puts 10–15 inch pieces (25–38 cm) at 18 to 23 hours, and says large back imagery can take 20 hours or more over multiple sessions. Aloha Tattoos gives 10 to 20 hours or more for back pieces, across several sittings. Platinum Ink describes a full-day session as five to eight hours. A lightly shaded or linework-only 30 cm piece can be much quicker. Your artist will give you an estimate and a plan of sessions once the design is drawn.
Questions
How big is a 30 cm tattoo in inches?
A 30 cm tattoo is 11.8 inches on its longest side, just under a foot. That is almost exactly the long side of an A4 sheet of paper, which is 29.7 cm, and a little longer than a US letter sheet.
Where can a 30 cm tattoo go?
The back, the thigh, the chest across both sides and the ribs can all take a 30 cm tattoo. Forearms, upper arms and calves top out at about 20 to 25 cm, so a 30 cm design on a limb becomes part of a sleeve.
Is a 16 inch tattoo bigger than 30 cm?
Yes. A 16 inch tattoo is 40.6 cm long, a third longer than a 30 cm piece, which is about 11.8 inches. It sits at the top of the usual range for a full back piece and is planned over many sessions.
How many hours does a 30 cm tattoo take?
Studios estimate a well-filled piece of this size at roughly 10 to 23 hours of tattooing, spread over several sessions of up to a full day each. Linework-only designs can take much less time.
Is 30 cm a full back tattoo?
It is a large back piece, short of a full back. Full back pieces usually run 20 to 40 cm, so 30 cm covers the upper back or a long section of it, and leaves room to extend the piece later.
Before you book
Hold an A4 sheet against the area to get a feel for 30 cm, then measure along the skin and note where the ends fall. Put your design on one of plan.tattoo's 74 plaster bodies at 30 cm, turn it to see the front, side and back, and take those pictures to your consultation. For the next size down see the 20 cm page or the 15 cm page; the tattoo size chart and how to plan a tattoo cover the rest.
Sources: Sydney Tattoo Convention: tattoo size and body part guide · Bosphorus Ink: tattoo size and placement guide · Skin Design Tattoos: tattoo sizing guide · Aloha Tattoos: how long mandala tattoos take · Platinum Ink: how long does a tattoo take · Vatican Tattoo Studio: why micro tattoos blur · Black Hat Tattoo: how small can lettering go