Journal Sizes Chart: Every Notebook Size in Inches and cm

A brand’s size label is often not its size. Two notebooks both sold as B6 can sit 12 mm apart, and a Midori MD “A4” runs shorter than a Clairefontaine A4. That gap is why a cover fits one notebook and leaves the next one rattling around inside.

So the chart below lists notebooks by name and by measurement, not by format alone: eight sizes in inches and centimetres, the notebooks that actually fit each, where the B5 and B6 labels disagree with each other, and the Asperaria cover built for it.

Journal & Notebook Sizes Chart

Every format in one table: the paper size, the notebooks actually sold at that size, and the Asperaria cover built for it. Cover measurements are the outside of the closed leather. Named notebooks are measured, not assumed — a brand’s size label is often not its size.

Anything smaller than the cover still fits — it just sits with some room around it, which the elastics hold fine. If you want a closer fit, put your notebook’s measurements in the order notes and we will cut the cover to them.

What does not fit

Two exceptions. Both come down to millimetres, which is the one place inches are no use — the gaps here are thinner than a tenth of an inch.

• Maruman Mnemosyne, any size. The twin-wire spine makes the body wider than the paper: A6 114 mm, A5 161 mm, B5 192 mm, A4 235 mm. Each is as wide as the matching cover or wider, so it cannot sit inside.
• Leuchtturm1917 Master (sold as A4+), 225 × 315 mm. The A4 cover is 226 × 320 mm on the outside — one millimetre of width to spare, which leaves nothing to close around.

For either of those, or anything else with odd measurements, send us the numbers and we will build a cover to fit.

A brand’s size name is not a measurement. Moleskine Large is not A5. Leuchtturm Pocket is not A6, and Leuchtturm Master is not A4. Midori’s A4 is nearly an inch short. Measure the notebook, not the label.

A4, A5, A6 and A7 come from ISO 216 and are the same everywhere. B5 and B6 are not — see ISO B6 vs JIS B6 below. Regular, Pocket, Field Notes and Passport are not standards at all; they became de facto sizes because people kept buying them.

Asperaria Leather Insert Sizes

The rule is short enough to remember: covers are bigger than the paper, inserts are the same size as the paper. Our leather inserts — zip pockets, card holders, organizer pieces — are cut to the paper footprint for that format, so they stack on the elastics alongside your notebooks instead of standing out past the edge of the notebooks.

These are cut to the ISO footprint. If you run a JIS B5 or B6 notebook, the leather insert will sit a few millimetres inside its edge — that is normal and it still stacks flat.

What Size Is Each Notebook Format?

Direct answers, paper size first.

What size is an A5 notebook?

An A5 notebook is 5.8" × 8.3" (14.8 × 21 cm). It is exactly half an A4 sheet, and it is the most common journal and planner size sold anywhere. Leuchtturm1917 Medium, Hobonichi Cousin, Midori MD A5, Apica CD-11, Kokuyo Campus A5 and Muji A5 are all built on it. The Asperaria A5 cover measures 6.3" × 9.1" (16 × 23 cm) closed.

What size is a B6 notebook?

A B6 notebook is 5.0" × 7.2" (12.8 × 18.2 cm) in the JIS standard, which is what almost every B6 notebook on sale actually is. ISO B6 is a little smaller at 4.9" × 6.9" (12.5 × 17.6 cm) and is mostly a paper-industry number. Stalogy 365Days B6 and Kokuyo Campus B6 are both JIS. Leuchtturm1917’s Paperback “B6+” is neither — ISO width but taller, at 4.9" × 7.5" (12.5 × 19 cm). The Asperaria B6 cover is 5.3" × 7.7" (13.5 × 19.6 cm) closed and takes either standard.

What size is an A6 notebook?

An A6 notebook is 4.1" × 5.8" (10.5 × 14.8 cm). Half of A5, a quarter of A4. Hobonichi Techo Original, Midori MD A6, Stalogy A6 and Apica CD-10 are all true A6. Leuchtturm1917’s Pocket is sold as A6 but is actually 3.5" × 5.9" (9 × 15 cm) — noticeably narrower. The Asperaria A6 cover measures 4.5" × 6.7" (11.4 × 17 cm) closed.

What size is a B5 notebook?

A B5 notebook is 7.2" × 10.1" (18.2 × 25.7 cm) in JIS and 6.9" × 9.8" (17.6 × 25 cm) in ISO. There is a third size in wide use too: “Semi-B5” at 7.0" × 9.9" (17.9 × 25.2 cm), which is what Kokuyo Campus, Apica CD and Muji B5 notebooks measure. Stalogy 365Days B5 is full JIS; Leuchtturm1917 Composition is its own 7.0" × 10.0" (17.8 × 25.4 cm). In practice, no B5 notebook you can buy off a shelf is exactly ISO B5. The Asperaria B5 cover is 7.5" × 10.6" (19 × 27 cm) closed, which covers all three.

What size is an A4 notebook?

An A4 notebook is 8.3" × 11.7" (21 × 29.7 cm). It is the international standard sheet — slightly narrower and slightly taller than US Letter. Clairefontaine A4, Rhodia No.18 and Kokuyo Campus A4 are true A4. Leuchtturm1917’s Master “A4+” is bigger at 8.9" × 12.4" (22.5 × 31.5 cm). The Asperaria A4 cover measures 8.9" × 12.6" (22.6 × 32 cm) closed.

What size is a pocket notebook?

A pocket notebook is 3.5" × 5.5" (8.9 × 14 cm). That is a Field Notes memo book, a Moleskine Cahier Pocket, and a Moleskine Classic Pocket. It is not an ISO size — it is 3.5 by 5.5 inches, an American measurement that became a standard through use. Asperaria makes two covers for it: Pocket Size at 4.3" × 5.9" (10.9 × 15 cm) and the slimmer Field Notes-compatible at 3.8" × 6.3" (9.7 × 16 cm).

What size is a Traveler’s Notebook (Regular)?

A Regular Traveler’s Notebook refill is 4.3" × 8.3" (11 × 21 cm). Same height as A5, about an inch and a half narrower — tall and slim on purpose, so several booklets stack on the elastics without the cover getting fat. The Asperaria Regular Size cover measures 4.8" × 9.1" (12.2 × 23 cm) closed. The smaller Passport refill, 3.5" × 4.9" (8.9 × 12.4 cm), goes in the Field Notes cover instead.

What size is an A7 notebook?

An A7 notebook is 2.9" × 4.1" (7.4 × 10.5 cm). Half of A6. Leuchtturm1917’s Mini is sold as A7 but measures 2.8" × 4.3" (7 × 11 cm). There is no stock A7 cover, but an A7 notebook sits happily inside the Field Notes cover at 3.8" × 6.3" with room on all sides. Want it snug instead? Put the measurements in the order notes.

What size is a composition notebook?

A US composition notebook is 7.5" × 9.75" (19 × 24.8 cm) on the outside. Close to B5 but not equal to it — a little wider and a little shorter than JIS B5. That width matters: the Asperaria B5 cover is also 7.5" across, so it will not close around one. The A4 cover at 8.9" × 12.6" takes a composition book with room around it — or ask in the order notes and we will cut one to size.

What are standard notebook sizes?

There is no single standard. Europe and most of the world default to the ISO A-series — A4 for school and office, A5 for journals and planners. Japan adds the JIS B-series, so B5 is the standard school notebook there and B6 a common journal size. The United States uses inches: Letter at 8.5" × 11" (21.6 × 27.9 cm), composition books at 7.5" × 9.75" (19 × 24.8 cm), and the 3.5" × 5.5" pocket memo. For journals specifically, A5 is the closest thing to a worldwide standard.

Is a normal notebook A5 or B5?

Depends where you are. In Japan a normal school notebook is B5. In Europe it is A4 for school and A5 for personal notebooks. In the US it is neither — a normal school notebook is a composition book or a Letter-size spiral pad. When someone says “normal notebook” about a journal, they almost always mean A5.

ISO B6 vs JIS B6: Why You See Two Different Numbers

Look up a B6 notebook size and you get two answers. Paper-size reference sites say 4.9" × 6.9". Stationery shops say 5.0" × 7.2". Both are right, because there are two B-series standards.

The two standards build the B-series differently. ISO B sizes fall on the geometric mean between neighbouring A sizes; JIS B sizes use the arithmetic mean, which makes every JIS B sheet slightly larger. In millimetres, since this is the one place a tenth of an inch hides the answer: JIS B5 is 6 mm wider and 7 mm taller than ISO B5, and JIS B6 is 3 mm wider and 6 mm taller than ISO B6.

Which one is your notebook? Almost certainly JIS. The B-series survives in stationery mainly because Japanese makers use it, so a notebook sold as B5 or B6 is usually the JIS size — Stalogy and Kokuyo both state JIS on their own product pages. ISO B numbers turn up mostly on paper and envelope charts, not on notebooks.

Then there is a third group that follows neither. “Semi-B5” at 7.0" × 9.9" (17.9 × 25.2 cm) is the standard Japanese school notebook, and it is what Kokuyo Campus, Apica CD and Muji B5 actually measure. Leuchtturm1917 Composition B5 is its own 7.0" × 10.0" (17.8 × 25.4 cm), and its Paperback “B6+” is 4.9" × 7.5" (12.5 × 19 cm) — ISO width, taller than either B6 standard.

This is why the Asperaria B5 and B6 covers are cut with more clearance than the A-series ones: they have to take all of it. For the notebook you already own, check the size chart.

Which Is Bigger? Journal Size Comparisons

Every measurement is width × height.

Deciding between the two most common sizes? There is a longer comparison here: A5 vs A6 leather journal.

How Many Notebooks Fit in One Cover?

Most Asperaria covers use elastic bands to hold replaceable inserts. How many you can stack depends on the model (many use 2, 3, or 5 elastics; some offer 6) and how thick each insert is. Typical spine capacity on our modular covers:

Check the product page for the default elastic count on the model you want, and remember that a thick sketchbook or a zipper pouch eats far more spine than a slim memo booklet. One warning from experience: just because six will fit does not mean six is a good idea. Somewhere past four you stop carrying a journal and start carrying a small book about yourself.

A Journal Is a Setup, Not Just a Size

The old way to choose a notebook was simple: pick a size, buy the notebook, and hope it matches how you actually write.

A refillable leather journal works differently. The cover can stay with you while the inside changes. You can keep one insert for daily journaling, another for planning, another for sketches, another for travel memories, and a pocket for cards, receipts, stickers, ticket stubs, notes from friends, and the loose paper that collects in the bottom of a bag.

That is why size matters. Not only because of handwriting or page space, but because of setup capacity:

• One insert: simple, light, clean, easy to carry.
• Two inserts: planner plus journal, notes plus sketches, work plus personal.
• Three or more inserts: a full analog system for planning, memory keeping, commonplacing, projects, and everyday carry.
• Pockets or inserts: useful if you collect loose things: cards, receipts, stickers, stamps, tickets, photos, lists, and small keepsakes.

If you want one place for planning, journaling, and daily notes instead of several separate apps or notebooks, a refillable leather journal is built for exactly that.

Which Size Should You Choose?

A4 Leather Journals: Big Pages, Big Plans

A4 leather journals are for people who need space. They are excellent for sketching, tattoo design development, study notes, visual planning, large project layouts, music sheets, and desk journaling.

The tradeoff is portability. A4 is not trying to sneak into a tiny bag. A4 is the journal you keep on a desk, in a studio, in a work bag, or anywhere you can open a big page and actually think.

Choose A4 if your work gets cramped in smaller notebooks. Skip A4 if your main goal is everyday carry.

B5 Leather Journals: Desk-Scale Without Going Full A4

B5 leather journals sit between A5 and A4. The cover measures 7.5" × 10.6" (19 × 27 cm) closed and takes every notebook sold as B5 — JIS at 7.2" × 10.1", Semi-B5 at 7.0" × 9.9", ISO at 6.9" × 9.8", plus most sketchbooks and study pads in that family.

B5 is the size people usually arrive at after owning the other two. A5 fills up embarrassingly fast once you start drawing. A4 stops fitting in the bag you actually own, as opposed to the bag you imagined yourself carrying. B5 is the compromise that stops feeling like one after about a week.

Choose B5 if A5 feels cramped for sketching or lecture notes but A4 is more book than you want to carry.

A5 Leather Journals: The Best All-Around Size

A5 leather journals are the safest first choice because they work for almost everything: daily journaling, planning, work notes, study, memory keeping, commonplacing, sketching, and creative projects.

A5 is especially good if you want a refillable journal setup with multiple inserts, inner pockets, a pen loop, personalization, or a mix of planning and journaling in one cover.

Choose A5 if you want one main journal. It offers the best balance of writing space and portability of any size in this lineup.

B6 Leather Journals: Compact, But Still Comfortable

B6 leather journals are for people who want something smaller than A5 but more generous than A6. B6 is great for daily journaling, commonplacing, reading notes, compact planning, and carrying a personal journal without feeling like you packed a textbook.

B6 is also a good choice if you like the idea of a main journal but know A5 feels a little too big for your actual bag, actual desk, or actual patience.

Choose B6 if you want portable pages that still let you write like a person with thoughts longer than a grocery list.

A6 Leather Journals: Small, Useful, Easy to Keep Close

A6 leather journals are compact without being uselessly tiny. They work well for quick daily entries, gratitude notes, rapid logs, travel notes, task lists, pocket-ish carry, and small sketches.

A6 is not the best size for long essays, full planning spreads, or large art pages. It is excellent when you want something close, quick, and low-pressure.

Choose A6 if you want a journal that says, "Just write the thing down." Sometimes that is the whole job.

Field Notes-Compatible Leather Covers: Tiny Journal, Big Utility

Field Notes-compatible leather covers are made for standard 3.5" × 5.5" (8.9 × 14 cm) pocket notebooks. Use this size for quick capture, field notes, measurements, lists, names, observations, travel details, and ideas that do not politely wait until you get home.

This size is also good as a secondary journal: one small notebook for the street, one larger journal for the desk. That split works especially well if you like to catch ideas quickly and sort them later.

We use "Field Notes-compatible" as a size reference only. It does not imply an official affiliation with the Field Notes brand.

Pocket Size Leather Journals: The Backup Brain

Pocket Size leather journals are for fast capture: tiny notes, small lists, client details, song lines, mini sketches, measurements, addresses, recommendations, and the thought you want to make sure you do not forget.

Pocket Size is not for huge layouts or long daily pages. It is for keeping paper close enough that using it feels easier than unlocking your phone.

Choose Pocket Size if the honest alternative is typing the thought into your phone and never opening that note again.

Regular Size Leather Journals: Tall, Slim, and Built for Setups

Regular Size leather journals are tall, slim, and especially good for traveler's notebook-style setups. Choose Regular Size for lists, itineraries, daily logs, setlists, reading notes, narrow planning pages, travel journaling, and a combined planner-journal system.

Regular Size feels less like an open table and more like a path. It keeps writing moving forward. That makes it great for people who think in sequences: morning notes, running tasks, trip logs, habit check-ins, project lists, and anything else you need to track before it slips your mind.

Choose Regular Size if your life mostly happens in lists.

How to Build a Journal Setup That You Will Actually Use

The best journal setup is not the prettiest one on day one. It is the one you keep reaching for on a normal Tuesday when nothing cinematic is happening.

Here are a few setup ideas:

If you are new to refillable journals, start simple. One cover. One or two inserts. One pen. Maybe a pocket if you collect loose stuff. You can always add more later, once you know how you actually use it.

What If You Pick the Wrong Size?

That is a normal part of finding a setup that works for you.

False starts are normal. You may try Pocket Size and realize you want more room. You may try A5 and realize you only carry it when you are not in a rush. You may start with a blank insert and discover you need dot grid. You may build a full planner setup and later strip it down to one insert and a pen.

That is not failure. That is how a personal system gets personal.

The good part of a refillable leather journal is that the cover can keep going while the inside changes. Swap inserts. Try a different paper style. Move planning into one booklet and journaling into another. Add a leather journal insert when you need pockets. Keep what works. Retire what does not. No ceremony required.

Left-Handed Journaling and Refillable Covers

If you write left-handed, the format that matters most is how the book opens — not a special fountain-pen paper recipe. A refillable leather cover with center elastics opens flat and lets pages turn either way, so your hand is less likely to fight a stiff right-bound spine. Slimmer sizes (B6, A6, Regular) can also feel easier to stabilize while writing. Choose the page size you actually fill; the cover should stay out of the way.

How Asperaria Refillable Leather Journals Work

Asperaria journals are handmade leather covers designed for refillable journal and notebook systems. Most designs use elastic bands to hold replaceable inserts, so you can keep the leather cover and change the paper when it is full.

Depending on the model, an Asperaria journal may include two, three, five, or six elastics, inner pockets, zipper storage, pen loops, wrap closures, leather inserts, or personalization. Some people keep it minimal. Some people build a whole modular setup. Both are correct. The point is to build a cover you will actually use every day.

Start with all leather journals if you want to compare every format. If you already know your size, go straight to A5, A6, A4, B5, B6, Field Notes-compatible, Pocket Size, or Regular Size.

If you want the cover to carry more than paper, browse leather journal inserts for pockets and organizer pieces. If you want initials, a name, or a gift-ready piece, start with personalized leather journals.

Still Not Sure? Here Is the Honest Advice

If you have read this far and still cannot decide, that is normal, and it matters less than it feels like it does right now.

Buy A5. It is the size most people land on, it works for nearly every setup, and if it turns out to be the wrong call you will know within two weeks — and the cover will still be worth owning. If it is a gift, add personalization. It makes a safe choice look like a considered one, which, to be fair, it is.

The only decision worth thinking hard about is the one you cannot undo later: the color. Paper, layout, how many inserts, whether you journal every morning or in guilty bursts every three weeks — all of that is swappable. That is the entire point of a refillable cover.

And if your favorite notebook is an odd size, send us the measurements. That is what the custom option is there for.

FAQ

Is A5 or A6 better for journaling?

A5 for longer entries, planning spreads, memory keeping and one-main-journal setups. A6 for short entries, travel notes, quick lists and everyday carry. If you are torn, A5 — it is easier to write less in a big journal than more in a small one. Full comparison: A5 vs A6 leather journal.

Which size planner is better, A6 or B6?

B6, for most people. A6 weekly spreads get cramped once appointments and notes share a page; B6 gives another 23 mm of width for barely any extra bulk. Choose A6 only if the planner has to live in a small bag or a coat pocket.

What is the average size of a school notebook?

It depends on the country. In Europe, A4 — 8.3" × 11.7" (21 × 29.7 cm) — for school and A5 — 5.8" × 8.3" (14.8 × 21 cm) — for personal notebooks. In Japan, Semi-B5 at 7.0" × 9.9" (17.9 × 25.2 cm) — that is what a Kokuyo Campus notebook is. In the United States, a composition book at 7.5" × 9.75" (19 × 24.8 cm) or a Letter-size spiral pad at 8.5" × 11" (21.6 × 27.9 cm).

Is 8.5 × 11 standard notebook paper?

In the United States, yes — 8.5" × 11" (21.6 × 27.9 cm) is US Letter, the standard sheet for filler paper and spiral pads. Everywhere else the standard is A4 at 8.3" × 11.7" (21 × 29.7 cm), a little narrower and a little taller.

Can I use a Moleskine, Leuchtturm1917 or Hobonichi insert?

Usually yes — but check the measurement, not the size name. Moleskine Large is 5.1" × 8.3" (13 × 21 cm), not A5. Leuchtturm Pocket is 3.5" × 5.9" (9 × 15 cm), not A6. Leuchtturm Master is 8.9" × 12.4" (22.5 × 31.5 cm) and does not fit our A4 cover at all. The size chart lists every notebook we get asked about.

What if my notebook is smaller than the cover?

It still works — the elastics hold it, it just sits with some room around the edges. A Moleskine Large in an A5 cover is the common case: 18 mm narrower than the leather, and most people pair it with a second insert to fill the space. If you would rather have a closer fit, put your measurements in the order notes and we will cut the cover to them.

Are Asperaria leather journals refillable?

Yes. Most Asperaria covers hold replaceable notebook inserts on elastic bands. Fill the paper, swap the insert, keep the leather.

How many notebooks fit in one Asperaria cover?

Two to six, depending on the model’s elastic count and how thick each insert is. See the spine-width table above, and check the individual product page.

Can Asperaria make a custom journal size?

Yes. If your notebook is an odd size — a Maruman Mnemosyne, a Leuchtturm Master, something you bound yourself — send the measurements and we will discuss a cover built for it.