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A trade paperback measures about 135 × 216 mm (5.25 × 8.5 in) and runs 250–450 pages — the middle of the three formats every shelf plan is built on.
Trade paperback. The largest of the paperback formats at about 135 × 216 mm (5.25 × 8.5 in), running 250–450 pages. A block of that length stands 15–28 mm thick on the shelf, which is why a 1.80 m run holds 60–95 of them rather than a single tidy number.
Mass-market paperback. The compact rack format, about 110 × 178 mm (4.25 × 7 in) and 175–300 pages. Slimmer spines push the fit count to 95–140 on the same 1.80 m run — the format of choice where sheer count matters more than presence.
Hardcover. The 6 × 9 in hardcover — 152 × 229 mm — runs 300–700 pages and stands 25–40 mm thick. Dividing the 1.80 m run by that band gives roughly 45–72 copies, the lowest count of the three formats.
On narrow screens, swipe or scroll the plate sideways.
Between the slimmest mass-market spine and the thickest hardcover, a shelf's book count varies roughly threefold. That swing is why a shelf plan starts with the format, not with the shelf: the same wall holds three different libraries depending on which format fills it.
Display adds two more sizes to the list. A 30 cm title shown face-out consumes 0.30 m of run; a 13 cm slimline consumes 0.13 m. Face-out is a format decision with a price tag, and the price is paid in run.
Use these bands two ways: measure a book before it arrives to know which section takes it, and measure the shelf before the delivery to know how many sections the delivery needs. The counting procedure is at /how-many-books-fit-on-a-shelf; the buying checks are at /how-to-identify-a-first-edition.
Further reading