7 Best PDF Measuring Tools You Can’t Miss (Free, Online Incl.)

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Bianca Huang
January 22, 2024 Preview 13.0K Preview 0
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With the growing need for people to measure the objects in floor plans, CAD drawings, or other PDF documents, PDF measuring tools are doing so with increasing accuracy, reliability and convenience.

We have collected a number of questions on Google that users are eager to get answers: What’s the best PDF measuring tool?, Does Adobe Acrobat have a measuring tool?, How can I measure a PDF for free?, etc. You can all get a satisfactory solution here.

Our article will be especially useful for designers, architects, engineers, Windows and Mac users who have measurement needs in their work or life. Here are the top 7 PDF measuring tools you can’t miss, freeware and online measuring tools also included. Let’s find out!

 

Top of All: The Most Precise and Rich PDF Measuring Tool

Measure PDF files and handle digital documents effortlessly, on Windows or Mac with Cisdem PDFMaster. Traditional measurement is tedious and time-saving, but Cisdem gives you a set of useful PDF measuring tools that make working with digital drawings easy and high-efficient.

There are 4 precise PDF measuring tools provided by Cisdem PDFMaster to measure distance, perimeter, polygon area and rectangle area. Each measuring tool will give you many options to customize their appearance like color, opacity, width and style. Besides, unlike some PDF measuring tools on the market, all the measuring results in Cisdem can be retained on the PDF pages when you’re done measuring. This will be a great convenience for people who need to record large amounts of measurement data.

Other Main Features Provided in Cisdem PDFMaster

  1. Edit PDF files in Cisdem easily like a word processor.
  2. Make annotations and drawings on the PDF pages.
  3. Batch convert PDF into/from various file formats.
  4. Unlock password-protected PDF files.
  5. Protect PDF with passwords, watermarks, digital signature and more.
  6. Reduce the size of PDF files in bulk.
  7. Manipulate PDF pages simply as you want.
  8. Create fillable PDF forms with various form fields provided.
  9. Support OCR technology.

How to Measure Distance on PDF Drawings?

  1. Download and install PDFMaster on your Windows or Mac.
    Free Download macOS 11 or later Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
     Earlier than macOS 11, click here
  2. Upload your PDF by clicking Open Files.
  3. pdfmaster interfaceGo to Editor > Measure. Select the Line tool from the measure drop-down menu to measure the distance between two points in a PDF. measure pdf cisdem1
  4. Make adjustments to the border color, opacity, line width, line style and so on before measuring.measure pdf cisdem2
  5. Click anywhere in the PDF as the start point, move the cursor to the second point and click the mouse button again.measure pdf cisdem3
  6. Click Save to complete your measurement.

How to Measure Perimeter in PDF?

  1. In the Measure menu, select the Multilines tool to calculate the sum of the distances of multiple points.
  2. Click to set the start point, move the mouse cursor to place the second point or third point, then double click to place the endpoint.measure pdf cisdem4

How to Measure Area in PDF?

Cisdem PDFMaster provides you with tools to measure the area of different shapes. You can measure the rectangular area or custom areas. Select the corresponding tool according to the shape of your measurement. Here we take the rectangle area as an example.

  1. Choose Rectangle Area in the Measure menu.
  2. Find the area that you want to measure, directly drag your cursor to create a rectangle.
  3. Then you'll see the measurement results (both area and length) within the rectangle.measure pdf cisdem5

Also, you can check the YouTube video tutorial to measure PDF on PC.

 

2 Convenient PDF Measuring Tools for Windows

#1. PDF Annotator

PDF Annotator provides Windows users two separate tools for measurement: One is Measure Tool, another is Dimension Tool. The biggest difference between the two is that the results of the measure tool are only displayed temporarily and are not saved to a document. The results of the dimension tool used to measure the distance between two points can be permanently retained on the document.

If you have the need to highlight text, reverse order of PDF page, fill in or sign a form, insert blank pages, add page numbers or add comments to PDF, PDF Annotator can solve all for you.

How to Measure PDF on Windows?

  1. Upload your PDF file from your local device.
  2. First select Tool > Measure to activate the measure tool, then go to Tool > Tool Style, the options you can choose from the drop-down menu are Distance, Perimeter, Area, Angle, Scale and Manage Scales.pdf measure annotator1
  3. Select a scale from the list or customize the scale in Manage Sales.
  4. Choose the tool to measure the distance between two points, a perimeter between points, an area or an angle in your PDF, and finish with ESC or right click.pdf measure annotator2

Tips: The Measuring tool in PDF Annotator can only be used as a temporary helper for measuring and calculating drawings. To keep the measure record in PDF, use the Dimension tool.

#2. PDF X-Change

PDF X-Change is a full-featured PDF editor specifically designed for Windows. It has the capabilities of PDF viewing, converting, protecting, etc., as well as PDF measuring. As for its measure feature, 3 types of measuring tool are available: distance, perimeter and area. Still, it gives users much freedom to change the format of the measurement marks on page, like color and opacity. However, only straight lines or straight shapes can be measured in this program, while angle or arc shapes require the help of other tools.

How to Measure PDF Drawings on Windows?

  1. Launch the program of PDF-XChange Editor on your PC.
  2. Go to File tab and click Open to upload the PDF you want to measure.pdf measuring tool windows01
  3. Click Comment feature and choose one desired measuring tool. pdf measuring tool windows02
  4. Select Format to change the appearance and scale ratio of measurement trace if needed.pdf measuring tool windows03

 

Use the Best Free PDF Measuring Software on Mac

Parts of you may prefer free PDF measuring software due to tight budget, occasional use or other reasons, if so, here are two optimal free PDF measuring tools available for you, respectively Adobe Acrobat Reader and Preview.

#1. Adobe Acrobat Reader

If you are looking for a basic yet workable PDF measuring tool, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC has got you covered. Most people may not know that the Adobe Reader is not just a reader, it can also let you take accurate measurement of your floor plans, PDF drawings or other files. Without downloading and paying for Adobe Acrobat Pro, you can measure perimeter, distance and area with this free PDF measuring tool.

How Does the Best Free PDF Measuring Software Work on Windows and Mac?

  1. Go to Adobe Acrobat Reader > Tools > Measure.pdf measure adobe1
  2. Upload your floor plan or other PDF files from your computer or Cloud.
  3. Right-click anywhere in the PDF to set measuring tool options. You can set the scale ratio and precision, change the markup label and more.
  4. Choose Measuring Tools and start your measuring.
    ► There are 4 Snap Types you can choose, including Snap To Paths, Snap To Endpoints, Snap To Midpoints and Snap To Intersections.
    ► And 3 Measurement Types in the upper right corner are Distance Tool, Perimeter Tool and Area Toolpdf measure adobe2
  5. Choose File > Save as to download the PDF file you measured.

#2. Preview

There is good news for Mac users that a default image and PDF viewer -- Preview can be a handy PDF measuring tool for free. With the aid of ruler provided by Preview, users are able to measure the size and margins of rectangular selection in a PDF file without having to print it out. It is a great option for those who simply need to measure some rectangles, otherwise you’ll have to turn to a professional PDF measuring tool.

How to Use the Best Free PDF Measuring Software on Mac?

  1. Right click on your PDF file and open it with Preview.
  2. Go to Tools tab on the top > Show Inspector from the drop-down.free pdf measuring tool mac01
  3. Hit the Ruler icon in the floating window.free pdf measuring tool mac02
  4. Head towards the Tools tab > Rectangular Selection, drag a rectangle as you need on the page, then its measured data will be shown on the Crop window.free pdf measuring tool mac03

 

A Well-Reviewed PDF Measuring Tool for iPhone and iPad

Does PDF Expert have a measuring tool? Can I use PDF Expert for free? These questions are raised in the topic of PDF measurement tools. As people expect, PDF Expert do help users to measure distances, areas, and perimeters effortlessly, however, the measurement tool set is available only for iPhone and iPad devices and requires a pro subscription. Follow the step-by-step tutorial to measure in PDF below if you need.

  1. Open your PDF file with PDF Expert on your iOS device.
  2. Select Measure feature from the top menu bar.pdf measuring tool ipad01
  3. The program will intelligently detect the scale in your document. Or, click Calibrate tool to set the scale. 
  4. Choose one of Distance, Area, or Perimeter tool as per your requirement, and begin your PDF measuring process.

 

Can I Measure PDF Free Online? Sure!

Noting that more and more users have the need to handle PDF documents online, most PDF software have launched the online version. Guess some users still look for free online PDF measuring tools, Foxit PDF Editor Online is picked here to meet all your requirements.

Foxit PDF Editor Online is a cloud-based PDF solution that provides many of the same capabilities as the offline version, measure tool is one of the most powerful parts you can use for free.

The program is equipped with other useful functions, with which you can edit PDF, convert PDF, add watermark, extract images from PDF, share PDF, redact PDF, etc. This tool can help you better manage your PDF files.

How to Use the Best Free PDF Measuring Tool Online?

  1. Create an account or sign up with Google Account.
  2. Choose a PDF from your computer, OneDrive, Box, Dropbox or Google Drive.
  3. Go to Comment > Measure. You can click Distance, Perimeter, Area icon in the toolbar according to your needs. pdf measure foxit1
  4. Once you’ve set the scale ratio on the right interface, you can start your measuring.pdf measure foxit2
  5. Multiple options like Snap Types, Export to Excel and Add label you can choose in the sidebar.
  6. Once you’ve finished, click File > Save as.

Tips:

1.If you need to draw vertical, horizontal or lines at a 45° angle, use Shift.
2.Right-click the line you have measured, it’s convenient to change the appearance and general in the Line Properties window.

pdf measure foxit3

 

So, which is the best choice for you?

These seven top-level PDF measuring tools have their own strengths. More powerful and reliable than other tools, Cisdem PDFMater is equipped with more abundant, accurate, and time-saving measuring tools for Windows and Mac users. Even better, you can freely download it and get a license at a cheap price now!

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Bianca Huang

Bianca is a senior tech editor and strategist at Cisdem with Over 10 years of experience on PDF related solutions which covers all document editing, annotating, converting and managing etc.

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