Dimensions of a Standard Lego Brick
Lego Bricks Basics
Lego bricks are the most basic building blocks of Lego toys. LEGO is a private company in Denmark and has been around since 1934.
Different Types of Lego Toys
There are different types of Lego for different age groups. The younger the children they are meant for, the bigger Lego pieces tend to be for safety’s sake. Different Lego categories include Lego Duplo, Lego Quatro, Lego Baby and Lego Technic.
Standard Lego Brick Sizes
A standard Lego brick for general use has a single knob on it. It is measured as 8mm x 8 mm. Now when Lego bricks are placed on top of one another or on a Lego plate, they cause friction. To reduce friction and to make building easier, a slight gap is allowed between bricks. This gap or space measures about 0.2 mm. Subtract the 0.2 millimeters and the actual size of the smallest standard Lego brick is 7.8 x 7.8 mm.
To get the size of any standard Lego brick, multiply the number of knobs in one direction by 8 mm and subtract 0.2 mm. This will give you the actual size for that dimension. The formula goes like this:
n x 8 – 0.2 = actual brick size
So for example, a 4 x 4 standard Lego brick is 4 knobs wide and 4 knobs long. Multiply each set by 8 and you get 32 x 32 mm. Subtract 0.2 from each one and the actual Lego brick size is 31.8 x 31.8.
Lego Toys for Different Age Groups
The standard Lego brick size is not safe for very young children. To avoid the danger of swallowing a brick, Lego has designed larger toys for younger people.
Lego Duplo
Duplo is Lego for children about 1-2 years old. The building blocks are eight times bigger in volume than the standard Lego brick size and double its dimensions. Duplo also has human figures but for safety reasons cannot be disassembled.
Lego Quatro
Duplo bricks can be used together with Quatro pieces. Theses are twice as big as Duplo.
Lego Baby
Lego Baby is for infants. They are twice larger than Quatro bricks.
Using and Buying Standard Lego Bricks
Standard Lego bricks are sold either as part of a set for building or as individual pieces. Themes may include castles, construction vehicles and buildings. Bricks are connected by knobs. A knob at the top of each brick can be plugged in to a hollow bottom of another brick or plate.
Sometimes a Lego user may lose bricks or want to build their own sets. Bricks can be bought in all sizes and colors.
