--- title: "Tools to Liveby Wide Scale: 20 cm Scale Ruler, 1:100 to 1:600" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/tools-to-liveby-wide-scale/" description: "Tools to Liveby Wide Scale explained: a 20 cm scale ruler with laser-engraved 1:100 to 1:600 markings, four colors, made in Taiwan, at NT$260 (about US$8.00)." category: "Accessories" type: "Scale ruler" published: 2026-11-05 updated: 2026-11-05 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 4 products: - name: "Tools to Liveby Wide Scale (20 cm, 1:100 to 1:600)" brand: "Tools to Liveby" brand_origin: "Taiwan" made_in: "Taiwan" price_band: "$$ ($5–20 per item, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Tools to Liveby (Taipei)" url: "https://www.toolstoliveby.com.tw/en/stationery/ruler/tools-to-liveby-wide-scale/" --- # Tools to Liveby Wide Scale: 20 cm Scale Ruler, 1:100 to 1:600 > The Tools to Liveby Wide Scale is a 20 cm scale ruler from a Taipei stationery shop's own line. Its 1:100 to 1:600 markings are laser engraved, the shop says, on a body longer and wider than its 15 cm scale. It comes in four colors, lists Taiwan as origin and cost NT$260 (about US$8.00) on November 5, 2026. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/tools-to-liveby-wide-scale/ - Category: Accessories - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-11-05 - Updated: 2026-11-05 ![Tools to Liveby Wide Scale ruler, 200 mm long, drawn slanted with a black upper face and a gray lower face, and a circle enlarging its ticks](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/tools-to-liveby-wide-scale-illustration-16x9.png?v=0dacf672) *The Wide Scale drawn 200 mm long (1 mm = 4.3 px); width and ticks by eye, black sampled from the maker's photo.* Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times. Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Tools to Liveby Wide Scale (20 cm, 1:100 to 1:600) | Tools to Liveby (by Tools to Liveby (Taipei)) | Taiwan | Taiwan | – | – | $$: $5–20 per item | - Made in (Tools to Liveby Wide Scale (20 cm, 1:100 to 1:600)): Taiwan. The product page lists the origin as Taiwan. It does not name the factory. Source: https://www.toolstoliveby.com.tw/en/stationery/ruler/tools-to-liveby-wide-scale/ ### Tools to Liveby Wide Scale (20 cm, 1:100 to 1:600) colors - Body colors (1 standard, 0 special edition): Black. - Per Tools to Liveby (maker's Wide Scale page and lead photo) (https://www.toolstoliveby.com.tw/en/stationery/ruler/tools-to-liveby-wide-scale/), checked 2026-11-05. The maker lists four colors: black, dark gray, orange and brown. We sampled only the black ruler in the lead photo, which also shows a lighter gray lower face; the other three are not sampled. Shops stock different colors; check the listing. ## Key takeaways - The shop lists the Wide Scale at 20 cm long with 1:100 to 1:600 scale markings, a redesign of its original slim 15 cm scale ruler. - It says the markings are laser engraved for clear, durable readings that resist wear with long-term use. - Four colors are listed: black, dark gray, orange and brown; the maker's English text does not give the material, width or weight. - The product page lists Taiwan as the origin; the price was NT$260 (about US$8.00) on November 5, 2026, in our $$ band ($5 to $20). - The shop's older 15 cm Scale was NT$130 (about US$4.00), so the Wide Scale is about twice the price for 5 cm more length and a wider body. ## What is the Tools to Liveby Wide Scale? **It is a 20 cm scale ruler: a ruler marked in ratios, not in centimetres, so you can read real distances off a drawing.** Tools to Liveby is a stationery shop that opened in a quiet Taipei alley in 2012. It mostly sells classic brands from Europe, America and Japan, and it also develops products of its own, such as this one. We read its English product page on November 5, 2026. The maker calls it "a familiar scale ruler, made even better". The original slim 15 cm scale ruler was redesigned with a longer 20 cm body and a wider surface "for a more comfortable grip and smoother handling". It lists a "scale" of 1:100 to 1:600 and "laser engraved" markings. ## What do the 1:100 to 1:600 markings mean? **At 1:100, 1 cm on the ruler stands for 1 m in real life; at 1:600 it stands for 6 m.** A scale ruler lets you read the real size of something on a drawing without doing sums. The maker lists the range 1:100 to 1:600 and does not say which ratios are printed on which edge, or whether it carries a plain millimetre rule as well. ![Six bars each representing 10 mm on the ruler: 1 m in real life at 1:100, 2 m at 1:200, 3 m at 1:300, 4 m at 1:400, 5 m at 1:500 and 6 m at 1:600](https://stationerytimes.com/images/tools-to-liveby-wide-scale-scale-readings.svg?v=2fbf74b2) *10 mm on the ruler at each scale in the 1:100 to 1:600 range; the sums are ours, the range is the maker's. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.* ## How is the Wide Scale made? **The maker says its markings are laser engraved, not printed, so they should not rub off.** The shop says the markings give "clear, durable readings that resist wear even with long-term use". Its older 15 cm Scale page says the same method, laser cutting the graduations, is why they "don't fade out easily". The English text does not give a material, a width, a thickness or a weight. The shop's product names for the colors call it an aluminum scale, and the older Scale's text calls itself "aluminum", but we treat that as the shop's naming and not a full specification. Our drawing shows only what is stated: 200 mm long. For another desk ruler whose dimensions are published, see the [Midori Aluminum Ruler 15 cm](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/midori-aluminum-ruler-15-cm/). ## Tools to Liveby Wide Scale specs | Spec | Value | |---|---| | Maker | Tools to Liveby (Taipei shop's own line) | | Length | 20 cm | | Scales | 1:100 to 1:600 | | Markings | Laser engraved, per the maker | | Colors | Black, dark gray, orange, brown | | Material, width, thickness, weight | Not stated in the English text | | Origin | Taiwan | | Price band ($$ = $5 to $20) | $$ (NT$260 (about US$8.00), on November 5, 2026) | ## What colors does it come in? **Four: classic black, understated dark gray, orange and brown.** The lead photo on the product page shows the black ruler with a lighter gray lower face, which is the only color we sampled; the other three are listed by the maker but not sampled. The older 15 cm Scale was listed in red, blue, green, gold, black and silver on the same shop, so the Wide Scale's palette is smaller and more muted. ## Who is the Wide Scale for? **It suits people who read drawn plans: model makers, students of architecture or interior design, and anyone who sketches to scale.** A 1:100 to 1:600 ruler is useful for site plans and floor plans, and the 20 cm length is a little longer than a typical pencil case ruler. We have not tested the accuracy of the engraving. It is a poor choice if you only need a plain centimetre ruler, because the maker lists scale markings only. The older 15 cm Scale is the smaller, cheaper alternative from the same shop. For a plain metric ruler see our [Makers Cabinet Stria folding brass ruler](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/makers-cabinet-stria-folding-brass-ruler/) guide. ## What does it cost, and where is it made? **NT$260 (about US$8.00) on the maker's own shop on November 5, 2026, in our $$ band ($5 to $20).** The older 15 cm Scale was NT$130 (about US$4.00) the same day. The product page lists Taiwan as the origin and does not name a factory. Prices change; we did not check other sellers. The shop's page also says some regions are outside its delivery area for the older Scale, so check shipping before ordering from outside Taiwan. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long is the Tools to Liveby Wide Scale? 20 cm, per the maker. It is a lengthened version of the shop's original 15 cm scale ruler. The width and thickness are not stated. ### Which scales does it show? The maker lists 1:100 to 1:600 markings. It does not say which of the intermediate ratios, such as 1:200 or 1:500, are printed on each edge. ### Will the markings wear off? The maker says they are laser engraved so that readings stay clear and resist wear with long-term use. We have not tested that. ### What is it made of? The English product text does not say. The shop's product names for the colors call it aluminum, but we could not find a material spec in English, so check with the shop before relying on it. ### What colors does the Wide Scale come in? Four: classic black, understated dark gray, orange and brown, per the maker. ### How much does it cost? NT$260 (about US$8.00) on the maker's own shop on November 5, 2026, in our $$ band. The older 15 cm Scale was NT$130 (about US$4.00). Prices change. ### Where is the Wide Scale made? The product page lists Taiwan as the origin. It does not name a factory. ### Can I use it to measure in millimetres? Not stated. The maker describes scale markings only (1:100 to 1:600) and does not mention a millimetre or centimetre rule, so check the product photos. ## Sources - [Tools to Liveby (maker's shop): Wide Scale, 20 cm, 1:100 to 1:600, colors, origin, price (read November 5, 2026)](https://www.toolstoliveby.com.tw/en/stationery/ruler/tools-to-liveby-wide-scale/) - [Tools to Liveby (maker's shop): Scale, 15 cm, 1:100 to 1:600, laser-cut markings, colors, price (read November 5, 2026)](https://www.toolstoliveby.com.tw/en/stationery/ruler/tools-to-liveby-scale/) - [Tools to Liveby (maker's shop): About us (select shop for stationery from Europe, America and Japan, with its own products; read November 5, 2026)](https://www.toolstoliveby.com.tw/en/about/) - [Tools to Liveby (maker's shop): TOOLS to LIVEBY brand page (own-line products and prices; read November 5, 2026)](https://www.toolstoliveby.com.tw/en/brand/tools-to-liveby/)