Dragon Size Calculator
Enter your dragon's mass, its flying speed and its wing shape. The calculator uses the lift formula to find the wing area and wingspan it would need, and compares it with the largest known flying animal and an airliner.
- Wingspan
- Wing area
- Wing loading
Just for fun. A long, narrow wing has a high aspect ratio, like an albatross.
A heavier flier needs much bigger wings. Wing area = weight ÷ (½ × air density × speed² × lift coefficient). A 1,000 kg dragon flying at 15 m/s would need about 59 m² of wing, a wingspan of about 20 m with eagle-like wings, twice the largest pterosaur.
Dragon wingspan chart
15 m/s, eagle-like wings. Search for a mass.
| Mass (kg) | Wing area (m²) | Wingspan (m) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 0.6 | 2 |
| 50 | 3 | 4.6 |
| 100 | 5.9 | 6.4 |
| 250 | 14.8 | 10.2 |
| 500 | 29.7 | 14.4 |
| 1000 | 59.3 | 20.4 |
| 2000 | 118.6 | 28.8 |
| 5000 | 296.6 | 45.6 |
| 10000 | 593.2 | 64.4 |
Metres.
Mass and wingspan
15 m/s, eagle-like wings. Slide the mass.
The wings are drawn against the largest pterosaur.
How to size dragon wings
Mass to wingspan. Step through it.
Mass
Kilograms.
Faster fliers need smaller wings, but must land fast too.
Bat, eagle or albatross wings
Wing shapes. Compare them.
Aspect ratio 4.
Aspect ratio 7.
Aspect ratio 12.
Long thin wings glide well. Short broad wings turn tightly.
Before your dragon flies
Fun checks. Tick each item.
Tick each item as you go.
Real flight also needs huge chest muscles and hollow bones.
What you get
Wing sizing. Each tile explains one result.
Metres.
m².
kg per m².
Compared.
Compared.
Quetzalcoatlus, the largest known flier, had a wingspan of about 10 to 11 m.
Frequently Asked Questions
No question matches that search.
How big would a dragon's wings need to be?
For a tonne at fifteen metres a second, about twenty metres across with eagle-like wings.
Could a real dragon fly?
Only if it were light, with huge flight muscles and very large wings.
What was the largest flying animal?
The pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus, with a wingspan of about ten to eleven metres.
Why do heavier fliers need bigger wings?
Lift grows with wing area, and weight grows faster than size.
Does flying faster help?
Yes. Doubling the speed needs only a quarter of the wing area.
What is wing loading?
The mass carried by each square metre of wing.
Is this calculator serious?
It is for fun, using real lift physics.
Wings worthy of a dragon
Pick a mass and a speed and see just how vast a dragon's wings would have to be to lift it into the sky.
More size calculators
Each one has its own calculator, worked examples and answers to common questions.