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 editor for measuring, how can I measure a PDF for free, can we measure in PDF Expert, 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!
Cisdem PDFMaster
Free Download macOS 11 or later
Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
Cisdem PDFMaster is a versatile PDF editor that has a measuring tool. It helps handle digital documents and measure the drawings in a PDF easily and efficiently.
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, you can comment on the measurement marks or delete the unwanted ones if needed.
Best of all, the measured results in Cisdem will be completely retained on the PDF pages when you’re done measuring. This can be greatly convenient for users who need to record large amounts of measurement data.
Free Download macOS 11 or later Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
Go to Editor > Measure. Select the Line tool from the measure drop-down menu to measure the distance between two points in a PDF. 
You can check the following table as a reference:
| Drawing scale | Measuring scale |
|---|---|
| 1:20 | 1cm=0.2m |
| 1:25 | 1cm=0.25m |
| 1:50 | 1cm=0.5m |
| 1:100 | 1cm=1m |
| 1:200 | 1cm=2m |
| 1:500 | 1cm=5m |
| 1:1000 | 1cm=10m |
| 1:1250 | 1cm=12.5m |
| 1:2500 | 1cm=25m |
| 1:5000 | 1cm=50m |
| 1:10000 | 1cm=100m |
Also, you can check the YouTube video tutorial to measure PDF on PC.
Parts of you may prefer free PDF measuring software due to tight budget, occasional use or other reasons, if so, here are 4 optimal free PDF measuring tools available for you.
If you are looking for a basic yet workable PDF measuring tool, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC has got you covered. It is not only a PDF reader, but also lets 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.
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.
PDF Annotator provides Windows users two separate tools for measurement: One is Measure tool, another is Dimension tool. The Measure tool can measure the distance, perimeter, area and angle. However, the measurement marks are displayed temporarily so that you can’t save it to the PDF. Meanwhile, the Dimension tool can only measure the distance between two points but the measurement data will be permanently retained on the document.
Tips:
1. When using the Measure tool, you don’t need to save the file, since all the measurement traces cannot be left on the PDF page.
2. If you only want to measure the distance of two points, select Tool tab and click Dimension to start.
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 rectilinear shapes can be measured in this program, while angle or arc shapes require the help of other tools.
Tips: The measurement data (including distance, perimeter, area, scale ratio and precision) will appear at the bottom right of the interface as soon as you click on the measurement trace.
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.
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.
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.
All of these 7 top-level PDF measuring tools can help users measure the PDF drawings easily, however, only few of them can review the complete measurement data. Cisdem PDFMaster stands out, because it can measure the distance, perimeter, area and angle of all shapes and keep the measured data recorded on the PDF pages. Better still, it packs abundant features besides measuring, making your PDF workflow simple and efficient. Now you can free download it and get a license at a cheaper price!
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.
